Dear Diary
by Ayrlee
Summary: This story takes place in the future after all 9 Charmed offspring are grown. Melinda, Pipers youngest, finds herself battling with an inner turmoil. On her quest to find her own self worth, she discovers shocking family secrets that change everything
1. prologue

Prologue

Melinda Prudence Haliwell was the youngest child of Leo Wyatt and Piper Haliwell. The Haliwell Family was a family anyone would be proud to be a member of; especially if 'anyone' came from the magical community. Her mother, Piper, was the oldest of the Charmed Ones. Her father, Leo, was a whitelighter who fell from Grace so that he could be with the woman he loved, and now was the Headmaster of Magic School.

Melinda had two older brothers, Wyatt and Chris. Her mother united with her father, who was then a Whitelighter, and together they brought forth Wyatt, the twice blessed child born on the most powerful magical day in centuries. Chris was conceived when her father was an elder and was the hero of the family. He traveled back in time to save Wyatt from turning evil, and therefore secured the future for the entire Haliwell line. Melinda was born after her father fell from Grace, meaning that he became mortal. Which, in essence, made both Chris and Wyatt twice blessed, and Melinda merely half mortal half witch.

Wyatt and Chris were good brothers to Melinda. Given that Melinda was the only girl, she was treated like a queen. Her brothers, and her father, pampered her as if she were made of glass. They always made it a point to tell her how very special she was. Of course, this left Melinda wondering what her worth in the family really was. It was because of her need to find her self worth that this story came to pass. A story of her family, her history, and the shocking revelation that she discovered.


	2. chapter 1

Chapter 1

Melinda stood in the back room of her mother's restaurant gazing into nothingness. Her two brothers had just left the present time to go into the past because Wyatt had suddenly lost his powers. She wasn't exactly sure how, or even why her oldest brother had lost his powers. She knew that he and Chris had gone to the underworld to clean out a clan of demons, but they wouldn't let her come along. They said it was too dangerous, and they wanted to make sure that she was safe. She had the distinct feeling that they just didn't want her to slow them down since she was the only one that couldn't orb away at the first sign that the danger was out of control. Despite her resentment, she was still worried about them.

"Melinda," she heard Piper call from the kitchen. "There's three tables out there waiting for someone to take their orders, what are you doing back there?"

"Sorry, Mom." Melinda replied as she came out of her daydream. "I'm on my way now."

"Wait a minute," Piper said as she saw her daughter walking past her. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing," Melinda replied curtly.

Piper put down her wooden spoon she was using to stir the huge pot of marinara sauce and looked intently at her youngest child. The past few weeks Melinda had been moody and curt with everyone in the family which included her two brothers, six cousins, two aunts, and both parents. However, today, she seemed a little more cranky than usual. Piper wondered if perhaps she and her boyfriend had a fight or perhaps little Henry had been taunting her again. When Melinda came back to the kitchen to deliver the orders, Piper gently grabbed her arm and pulled her to the side.

"Sweetie, what is wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, Mother." Melinda replied, avoiding eye contact.

"Something is wrong, just talk to me." Piper replied desperately.

Melinda sighed and looked at her mother. "Why are you so concerned about customers out there, when Wyatt and Chris are back _there_?"

Suddenly, Piper understood and smiled.

"Why are you smiling? This isn't funny Mother. Wyatt suddenly lost his powers, and they went to the past which can potentially screw everything up _now_!" Melinda could feel her blood begin to boil. She was 20 years old, and she was tired of being treated like a child!

"I told you all when they came back from the underworld in a panic, it's not a problem," Piper replied. "This happened over two decades ago, and we fixed it. They'll be back soon and there won't be any problems, I promise."

"You didn't fix it," Melinda spat. "Chris did. Chris always fixes it doesn't he? Chris is the Haliwell Savior! A regular time traveler! His whole purpose in life is to go back in the past to fix what you and your sisters screwed up!"

"Excuse me?" Piper managed to choke out.

Before Melinda could reply, her two cousins Porche and Pepper, orbed in. Melinda jumped as they materialized in front of her and shot them a look of distaste.

"Would it be so hard for you to use the employee entrance like normal people? What if somebody saw you?" Melinda asked.

"Sorry," they replied in unison. "We were running late."

"Whatever," Melinda replied, annoyed that the twins talked together at the same time. "You're here, I'm gone."

"Melinda," Piper called as her daughter stormed out the door. She sighed and turned to her nieces. "Do you have any idea what's gotten into her lately?"

"Nope." They replied. "Sorry Aunt Piper."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Melinda sat on the rocks overlooking the beach. She welcomed the cool ocean breeze as it blew her chestnut hair away from her face. When she closed her eyes she could taste the salt upon her lips, smell the sea air encompass her being, hear the waves break endlessly against the shore, and feel the sand between her toes. This place had always been where she went to settle her nerves and get her head on straight.

She replayed the outburst with her mother over and over again in her mind. She didn't mean to be so hateful, and she certainly didn't want to seem so bitter about her brother. She knew that if Chris hadn't gone back in time that she very well never would have been born. Then again, she thought bitterly, that may not have been such a bad thing.

Melinda had always felt out of place within her circle of cousins and her brothers. Her brothers were half whitelighter, and she of course was only half human. Growing up that never made sense to her since they all had the same father. But, thanks to Chris, Leo became human before she had the chance to be conceived. Her Aunt Phoebe married a Cupid, so her cousins Pricilla, Patience and Patty orbed in that annoying way with a heart to lead the way. Aunt Paige, who was of course half whitelighter passed on the ability to Henry, Porche and Pepper, and of course Henry never forgot to remind her that she was the only one that couldn't. All eight of them felt the need to _protect_ her from the bad guys. They all worried that she would get hurt or, which she thought was more likely, would get in the way. Melinda sighed and watched the sand fall through her fingers, lost in thought.

'It's all thier fault.' The wind seemed to whisper in her ear. She looked around to see if someone else had snuck up on her. She was alone, save for the few seagulls scattered just out of reach of the waves.

'You need to make it right, make them pay' the wind whispered again. This time, Melinda spun around to see where the voice had come from. She wondered if maybe she was just thinking very loudly.

'It was their selfishness, not yours that brought you here.'

"Who's there?" Melinda cried out into the horizon. She stood up and looked around frantically in vain trying to find the source of the voice.

"Show yourself," she warned, her eyes narrowing. Just then, she saw a pink heart followed by the sparkle of orbs. Her cousin, Pricilla, materialized beside her.

"Are you okay?" Pricilla asked, her hazel eyes filled with concern.

"Why are you whispering crap like that into my ear?" Melinda asked.

"What?" Pricilla asked.

"You weren't…. nevermind… it's not important." Melinda answered trying to dismiss the whole thing. The last thing she needed was her cousin thinking that she was going insane.

"Melly, are you sure you're okay? There's nobody here but us, and I just got here. Who was talking to you?"

"Nobody," Melinda answered. "I must have dozed off and I was having a weird dream."

"Okay," Pricilla answered, still unsure. "Wyatt and Chris are back. Everything seems to still be in order."

"Did they send you looking for me?" Melinda asked. She was trying hard not to be cross because she truly loved her cousins, and after her explosion at Porche and Pepper she wanted to be on her best behavior.

"Ummm… no," Pricilla replied. "We were supposed to go to the movies and you never showed to pick me up."

Melinda slapped herself in the forehead and tried to manage a smile. She had completely forgotten. She always complained about how she didn't like being treated like a child, but at moments like this she couldn't blame them.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. I completely forgot," Melinda said glancing down at her watch. "Now there's no way we can make it on time."

"Yes we can," Priscilla grinned. She took a hold of Melinda's hand and with a shimmer of pink and silver, they were off.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"What the Hell was that?" Melinda asked as she looked around at her surroundings. She was standing next to Priscilla in a back alley behind the movie theatre.

"Well, I know how much you wanted to see this movie," Priscilla answered. Melinda simply looked at her.

"I figured that if we just orbed, we could make it on time," she continued, starting to feel a little unsure of herself. Priscilla stared at her cousin and tried to read her. Like her mother, Priscilla was gifted with the power of empathy but Melinda was very hard to read lately. So many emotions were tangled up inside of Melinda, that Priscilla doubted even Melinda knew what was going on inside.

"Unbelievable," Melinda muttered as she started to walk away from her cousin.

"Wait!" Priscilla cried. "Where are you going? The theatre is the other way!"

"I'm not going to the movie. I didn't ask you give me a ride, you didn't even ask if I still wanted to go." Melinda called without looking back.

"What are you going to do, walk back to the beach?" Priscilla asked helplessly.

"No, I think I can probably find a taxi to take me there so that I can pick up my car."

Melinda glanced back at her cousin. Priscilla looked hurt and confused, and Melinda couldn't help but feel guilty. She turned around and wrapped her arms around her cousins neck.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie," Melinda said softly. "I'm just having some issues right now and I didn't mean to take them out on you. I just need some space right now is all. You understand, right?"

Priscilla pulled back enough to look at Melinda. She sighed and nodded her head, even though she didn't really understand. She watched as Melinda walked away, waited for her to hail a cab, and then decided that something needed to be done. Melinda was certainly on a road to self destruction if something wasn't done soon.

When Melinda arrived back at the manor she found that the driveway and the street were littered with her extended family's cars. Suddenly, she remembered that they were having a family BBQ today. She cursed herself for forgetting, but inwardly she really wasn't in the mood to socialize. She knew that as soon as she walked in the door everyone would look at her as if she had two heads, and she would surely be attacked after her many outbursts in the short day.

The smell of charcoal and mesquite filled her senses as she got out of her car and walked up the porch steps. The sound of the radio, idle chit chat, and laughter wafted from within the house as she opened the door. Quietly, she pushed the door shut and tried to tiptoe upstairs without being seen.

"Heard you had to catch a taxi back to your car. Sucks you can't orb."

Melinda inwardly cringed, but she tried to ignore the voice behind her. She tried to continue up the stairs without acknowledging the voice behind her.

"Awww, come on take a joke." Melinda closed her eyes and took a deep breath and persistented up the stairs. Suddenly, her cousin Henry materialized in front of her.

"Get out of my way, Henry." She said.

Mocking a look of disappointment, Henry held his heart. "Oh, you hurt me Cousin. I'm just playing. Aren't you going to come and eat?"

"No," she said trying to side step him.

"Fine, I'll bring some food up to you," he said sincerely. "Would you like that? I heard what happened and I know you probably don't want to be around people."

Melinda paused and looked at her cousin trying to figure him out. She decided that he really cared and she nodded. "Yeah, I would like that thank you."

"Okay," he said.

As she reached the top of the stairs she stepped in a plate overfilled with potato salad. Laughter rang out from the bottem of the staircase, and she looked down to see Henry holding himself up on the banister to keep from falling over.

"Dammit Henry!" she shouted. With a flick of her wrist, Henry went flying across the room slamming into the old grandfather clock. The laughter in the other room ceased and everyone came running into the foyer. Paige hurried to her sons side and examined him thoroughly.

"Melinda!" Piper exclaimed. "What has gotten into you?"

"I'm tired of his crap," Melinda said calmly as she leaned down to pick up the plate of potatoe salad.

"He's 15 years old," Chris told her.

"So?" Melinda asked her older brother.

"So," Leo said to her, "We don't use our powers to hurt family members."

"Tell that to him," Melinda said, pointing at the whimpering Henry sitting on the floor.

"I didn't hurt you," Henry said weakly.

"You did so!" Melinda shot back.

"Somebody needs a time out," Wyatt said jokingly trying to lighten the situation.

"Quit treating me like a child!" Melinda screamed.

Wyatt visibly flinched and looked at his sister. Without missing a beat Chris was up to the top of the stairs and two inches away from Melinda's face.

"If you don't want to be treated like a child, then quit acting like one!"

"Get out of my face, Chris." Melinda seethed.

Chris backed off and stood aside so that she could walk past. Melinda tried to maintain her composure. She knew that Chris was right, she had been acting like a spoiled brat, but she couldn't control herself. She tried to hold her head high as she walked to her room and slammed the door. She heard her mother saying goodbye to her family, and her father apologizing on her behalf.

As she lay on her bed, trying to hold back her tears, she heard the voice again. 'You're better than this. You can be so much more.'

"Go away," she mumbled into her pillow. Someone knocked on her door, giving her a start. She ignored it, but she heard the door open anyway.

"Mom, not right now. I'm sorry, okay. I really am and I don't know what's wrong. I just need some space."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you're sorry," a familiar voice replied, "But I'm not your mom."

Melinda looked up to see Billie standing in the doorway. She had an air of confidence and stubbornness that stopped Melinda from sending her away. Billie's eyes were filled with love and compassion and she boldly walked in and sat at the foot of her bed.

"So, I'm guessing that you're having a few issues right now. Something along the lines of, you feel lost, you don't fit in, you don't know who you are… am I on the right track?"

Although she wasn't blood related, Billie was as much a part of the family as anybody was. She always knew the right things to say at the right time. Even though she wasn't even 40 years old yet, Billie had somehow accumulated the wisdom of a woman who had lived many lifetimes. Melinda was taken aback by Billie's insight and felt a new wave of tears coming on; all that she could do was manage a meek nod.

"I bet you're pretty annoyed that your brothers won't let you go kick some demon ass with you too, huh?" Phoebe's voice came in softly from the doorway. Melinda and Billie looked up.

"I thought you left," Billie said to Phoebe.

"I was going to, but I figured I'd stay here and help clean up. I overheard your conversation, thought maybe I could help here first." Phoebe said smiling. She crossed the room and sat on the foot of the bed with Billie.

Melinda sighed and looked at the women in her room. She looked at her bedroom door, and closed it telekinetically so that they wouldn't be disturbed.

"How did you guys know that's what I was feeling?" She asked.

Phoebe and Billie looked at one another and smiled.

"Well," Phoebe said. "Many, many years ago I had a vision of a daughter that I would have in a demon free future. I got so obsessed with finding the father of that child, that I misused my active powers and had them taken away from me. After that, your mom and Aunt Paige always made me stay behind because it was too 'dangerous'. It infuriated me."

"But I have my active powers," Melinda said. "That doesn't stop Wyatt and Chris from holding me back."

"That doesn't stop them from wanting to protect you, though." Phoebe said gently. "But, I do agree, they need to loosen up a little and let you take on some of the action. The problem is, not only are you the youngest, but you're also the only girl."

"Yeah, there's that and I can't orb." Melinda muttered.

"Oh!" Billie exclaimed. "Is that the problem? Well, I can fix that… well you can anyway."

"What?" Melinda asked, her curiosity picking up.

"When I was your age, I had just come into my powers. That's how I met your family. Anyway, I asked your family to train me, since I didn't have anybody else. As far as I knew, I was the only witch in my family. Anyway, I needed a way to get to and from places in a hurry. I found a potion that helped me out and I always had a vial or ten handy."

"Where is the recipe?" Melinda asked excitedly.

"I think I found it in a book at magic school," Billie said thoughtfully. "I really can't remember. It may have been one of the books up in the attic."

"Is it in the Book of Shadows?" Melinda asked.

"I guess you can look," Billie said.

"But," Phoebe added, "Your brothers will never let you go along until you start acting your age. Your whole life you've been the pampered one that gets everything handed to you." Melinda rolled her eyes and threw herself back on her bed. "Now don't go getting all cranky, young lady. You know as well as anyone that it's true. You're going to have to prove yourself to your brothers."

"I know," Melinda conceded. "But how do I prove it to them? What do I have to do?"

"The same thing I had to do to prove myself," Billie said. "Study, and study hard."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Melinda stood in the doorway of the attic, hesitant to walk in. This place had been her playground growing up. Every little girl had tea parties with their friends growing up, but Melinda's were extra special. Leprechauns would arrive on rainbows, fairies would make the room sparkle with fairy dust, and wood nymphs would decorate the table with the most beautiful flowers imaginable. As a child, she spent countless hours playing hide and seek with her brothers and her cousins. She had a special hiding place up there where nobody ever seemed to find her. Now that she was grown, she had a sneaking suspicion that Wyatt and Chris knew, but they humored her anyway. But the idea of going in there and actually studying the book that she had long taken for granted seemed unnerving to her.

Chris had been on her for years telling her to look at the book and to learn what was in there. She had always told him that there was no point, that their mother never studied it and she became one of the most powerful witches ever. Chris would roll his eyes and leave it alone. She really couldn't blame him now for treating her as if she were clueless, because essentially she was. Everything had always come easy to Melinda, and she never had to work a day in her life. Now, today, she was going to buckle down and earn her keep in the magical community. Slowly, she walked over to the book and opened it to the first page.

"Hey," she heard a voice say softly from the door. Chris was leaning against the door jam looking intently at her.

"Hey," she replied as she flipped the page.

"Looking to curse somebody?" Chris asked, his eyebrow raised.

"No," Melinda replied sarcastically. "I'm trying to learn something."

Chris stood up straight and looked at his sister. That statement had certainly caught his attention. She was so much like Piper in the sense that she wanted a normal life, but also at the same time she always wanted to be in the middle of the action. He and Wyatt had decided a long time ago that they would never forgive themselves if she got hurt, so they never let her put herself in harms way. They agreed that one day she might learn, but as it stood now, they simply thought that she would be better off mixing vanquishing potions for them. But now, Chris thought that he saw a different person in his sister and managed to muster up a bit of respect.

"Okay," he said and turned to leave.

"Chris?" Melinda called after him.

"Yeah?" Chris asked over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, about that thing on the stairs, and about everything else…" her voice trailed off.

"Already forgotten, Kiddo. I'll leave you alone and tell Wyatt to do the same." He answered.

"Thanks."

Melinda spent hours gazing at the handwritten pages of the book. She tried to absorb as much of it as possible. She took down notes in a tablet on things she wanted to clarify with her mother. The book was packed full of information, not just on demons and warlocks, but life stories of her past relatives. She wondered to herself why she never found all of this interesting before.

Melinda found an excerpt from her Aunt Phoebe about a warlock named Anton. He was a lover of one of her distant cousins from the 1920s that wanted to steal the powers of the witches. According to the book, they vanquished him years ago, but that wasn't what caught her attention. The name of the witch that Anton had fallen in love with, her name was P. Russell. The name sparked a distant memory in Melinda's brain.

During her enchanted tea parties, Melinda and her girl cousins would play dress up in the old clothes that were stashed in the attic. She laughed with her cousin Patience once that the sisters never got rid of anything. Melinda slammed the book shut and went searching for the something that stirred her memory. Finally, underneath some half full boxes and years of dust, she found a chest that was over 100 years old.

She opened it carefully so that she wouldn't damage the rusted hinges. There, within the tattered flapper dresses, yellowed corsets, sequined hats, and costume tiaras Melinda found what she was looking for. Lying in the bottem of the chest, long forgotten was a leather bound diary with a tiny little heart shaped lock to deter the eyes of intruders. Written in faded gold ink Melinda could barely read what it said in the poor lighting of the attic:

"_Property of Pearl Russell"_

Melinda stared in awe at the journal. She couldn't believe that within the pages of this book were words scrawled by a woman that lived 100 years ago. A witch that had been good once, but seduced by the love of a warlock. All of that was written in the Book of Shadows, but Melinda was dying to know what else had happened to this woman. She knew that it had nothing to do with learning, nothing within the pages could help her fight demons with her brothers, but curiousity consumed her.

"Read it," a voice seemed to say to her. "Read it and you'll learn more than you could ever have imagined."

Melinda wondered if she was invading the privacy of her distant cousin. She wondered if somewhere her spirit was looking down and loathing the idea of someone reading her private thoughts. But, that was nonsense. Pearl Russell was long dead.

Melinda had an eerie feeling that she wasn't alone in the attic any longer, even though she knew nobody had come through the door. She looked around and caught sight of a being hovering in the darkest corner. Unafraid of things that lurked in the night, Melinda looked right at the being.

"Who are you?" she asked the apparition.

"A friend," it seemed to sing back to her.

"What is your name?" Melinda asked calmly.

"My name isn't important. I'm here to help you. Read the journal. I know that you think that it won't help you, but it will help you more than you can imagine."

Melinda stood up and looked at the figure. It was a pretty girl, in her early 20's. Wavy hair hung past her thin shoulders and her eyes seemed to look straight through Melinda. The figure pointed at the diary.

"Read it."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Melinda clutched the diary to her chest as the apparition faded away and thought about what the ghost had said. She wondered if, just perhaps, all of the answers lied within the words scrawled on the pages. Of all the names of her ancestors, Melinda could not place the name Pearl Russell, but, she supposed, Miss Russell might just have the answers that she had been seeking. The ghost that was offering to help could conceivably be the spirit of Pearl herself, there to help her through.

Melinda was startled to hear footsteps outside the attic door. She didn't know why, but she tucked the little diary away out of sight. She jumped to her feet, wiped the dust from her jeans, and smoothed out her hair. A light rapping came from the other side of the door as she heard her mother calling her name almost nervously.

"Melly?" Piper called gently.

Melinda half smiled. She hadn't hear that name since she was probably about 10 years old. She pushed her hair out of her face and ran to open the door.

"Hey, Mom." She said a little too cheerily.

Piper looked at her youngest child and a frown creased across her forhead. She raised her eyebrows as she did a quick survey of the attic.

"What are you doing?" Piper asked.

"Nothing," Melinda replied defensively. "I was just studying the book a little."

"So, you're okay?" Piper asked with concern lacing every word. She worried about her youngest child all the time. All of her children were visions of beauty and grace, but Melinda was a completely different world apart from the boys. Piper shook off a lingering thought that hovered in the back of her mind. A thought that Melinda possessed something dark deep within her soul.

"Yes, Mom." Melinda replied forcing a smile. "I'm fine, everything is fine I promise. I'm sorry about that outburst earlier. I don't know what's wrong with me, but that is why I'm up here. I need to figure it… figure _myself _out before I drive the entire family insane."

Piper smiled and spontaneously hugged her daughter. She couldn't imagine why she would even think that her daughter had a dark anything about her.

"It's late, Honey." Piper said maternally. "You should get some sleep."

"Yeah, I was actually just getting my stuff together so that I could head up to bed." Melinda lied.

"Do you want some help?" Piper asked as she surveyed the many books and notepads laying in a heap on the floor.

"No." Melinda snapped. "I can do it on my own. Mom, I just need some space that's all. I can't do anything for myself if I always have someone helping me. That includes cleaning up after myself."

Piper stifled a laugh and Melinda grinned with her. After Piper disappeared down the steps, and Melinda heard her mothers bedroom door shut firmly, she rushed back to where she had hidden the diary. She put it between some other books in case she ran into one of her brothers on the way to her room. She didn't know why she was being so secretive, but it just seemed like the right thing to do.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Melinda groaned and rolled over onto her stomach, hiding her face from the assault of the sunshine streaming in through her window. Her nose filled with the aroma of fresh baked blueberry muffins drifting up from the kitchen which made her stomach growl hungrily for sustenance. Ignoring the desperate cries from her belly she pulled the pillow over her head and tried to fall back to sleep.

Suddenly, she remembered the Pearl Russell's memoirs that were hidden in her top drawer beneath her unmentionables. With renewed ambition, she jumped to her feet and confirmed that the small leather diary was still safely where she had left it. She traced her finger along the tattered edges and smiled to herself. Something in it called out to her and she wanted nothing more than to open it and take in every syllable scribed within. Unfortunately, her hunger was at it's limit and the pangs within her abdomen were almost unbearable. She threw her hair back in a lazy ponytail and bounded down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Morning Sleepy Head," Piper chirped from the kitchen sink as she heard her daughter bound into the kitchen.

"Hey," Melinda replied. "What time is it?"

"Umm.. a little past 10 I would say. Your brothers are already gone, your dad is at Magic School already, and I'm actually about to leave for the resturaunt. That nasty health inspector is coming out today."

"The one that hates you?" Melinda asked as she put a little piece of a muffin into her mouth.

"She doesn't hate me," Piper answered feigning offense to her daughters statement. "She simply can't understand why I have such high scores all of the time."

"So she's out to get you," Melinda finished her mothers sentence with a knowing gleam in her eye.

"Exactly!" Piper answered gleefully.

"So, she hates you." Melinda stated as she bit a huge bite out of her muffin.

"Yup," Piper answered laughing. "Which means I have to go and make sure everything is in order."

"Mom," Melinda groaned. "You are a regular Hitler in that kitchen. I've seen you fire cooks for the asparagus not cooked enough, what are you worried about?"

"One time!" Piper exclaimed. "Besides, he served RAW asparagus to a known food critic, what would you have done?"

Melinda just laughed at her mother's frustrated expression. She knew that her mother was a perfectionist to the most minute detail which is why the inspector always tried so hard to find something wrong. Melinda suspected that it was as much a game to her mother as it was to the inspector.

"So, I'm here all by myself today?" Melinda asked.

"Seems so, unless you want to come and help me with the grease traps," Piper answered hopefully. By the upturn of Melinda's nose, Piper knew that even begging wouldn't persuade her daughter.

"I think I'm going to read the book," Melinda said thoughtfully. She thought it was odd that she didn't flinch at lying to her mother, though technically she wasn't lying. She was going to read the book, just not the one she led her mother to believe. Why couldn't she just be honest about it?

"Okay then," Piper said airily as she poured a large glass of orange juice for her daughter. "It's off to work I go."

"Bye Ho-- Have a good day…?" Melinda said.

"Did you just call me a ho?" Piper asked raising an eyebrow and keeping the glass halfway between them.

"_No!_" Melinda cried, her eyes wide in mock innocence.

"Uh huh," Piper laughed as she handed the juice to Melinda.

After seeing Piper to the door, and ensuring that her mother's car was safely out of sight, Melinda rushed back up to her room. She shut her door and leaned against it protectively. Reaching behind her she turned the lock and sighed to herself. Finally, she was alone with the diary with nobody to disturb her. Feeling a presence in her room, but not seeing anyone there she narrowed her eyes and looked around.

"If you are truly a friend then show yourself," Melinda hissed.

The young woman from the night before materialized in front of her. Once again, her wavy hair flowed freely at her shoulders. She was standing next to Melinda's dresser with a serene look on her face. Her white skin seemed to glisten, although the figure wasn't at all corporeal. Melinda felt a tingle go down her spine, generally a warning that something was very wrong but she ignored it. The figure stared intensely at her before speaking.

"Are you going to read it?" It asked her.

"Maybe," Melinda answered defensively. "Why is it any of your business?"

"I only want to help you understand, Melinda." The apparition told her solemnly.

Melinda looked at the woman. Something about the ghost seemed very familiar, but she couldn't place what it was. A voice in the back of her head told Melinda that although her curiosity about the book was overwhelming, something else was askew in the grand scheme of things. Something just wasn't right, and that something was pushing Melinda closer and closer to diving headfirst into trouble.

"Help me understand what?" Melinda asked.

"To understand yourself," The ghost smiled. It reached its hand up and put it gently upon its imaginary heart. "To understand what is within here. You are so much more than you and your family have allowed you to be. There is so much more power within you, power like you would have never imagined."

"Why do you seem so familiar to me?" Melinda asked.

"We're family," the woman replied. "But that is all that I can say right now. We are family, and you should trust me. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so just read the journal. Just learn from her mistakes."

Melinda nodded as the spirit melted away. She crossed the room to the dresser and pulled out the diary. With little effort she was able to open the clasp lock and the diary fell open to the first page. Unfortunately, the pages were yellowed with age and the ink had been washed out by time. Frustrated, Melinda squinted to read the elaborate loopy handwriting.

"_Why read it_?" A voice whispered in her ear. "_You're a witch. You don't have to try to read this."_

"What are you talking about?" Melinda asked the voice. She was slowly getting used to the voice inside her head.

"_Watch it. A simple spell, watch it silly girl."_

"That's it!" Melinda exclaimed smacking her mattress. She grabbed a pencil and notepad from her side table and set her mind to writing a defined spell. One that would bring her back to watch the story unfold, but let her stay within her own world at the same time. Wording would be tricky, but she knew that she could get it just right. Finally, after seven spells and ten revisions, her spell seemed to be perfect.

"_The answers I seek are within this book_

_Bring me back for an in depth look_

_Of memories from an ancestor long ago_

_Within my mind I shall go to and fro_"


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**A/N**

**From here on out, Melinda will be watching Pearls memories. What Pearl remembers will be italicized. I will be jumping back and forth between real time and Pearl, so please bear with me. This story is beginning to take a life of it's own! Please R&R… you all have been so helpful!**

**Additional A/N**

**In response to this review :**

_**Just a correction, she wouldn't be half mortal, she would be a full witch just like Piper, Patty, Grams etc.**_

**You are in fact right, Melinda is a full witch, but given her siblings and cousins being more than just witch, I was trying to portray her self conciousness. Sorry for the confusion!**

Melinda gently ran her index finger over the words that Pearl had written so long ago. Almost as if a movie were playing in her mind, Melinda could see the memories her long dead ancestor had written in the diary as if they were Melinda's own recollections. She was watching through Pearls eyes and feeling with Pearls emotions.

She found herself in the manor many years before her mother's mother was born. The place was loaded full of people, laughing, dancing, and drinking. Where the conservatory was now, there was a swarm of people in line to get their photographs taken by a woman Melinda knew was Pearls cousin, Prudence Baxter.

_Prudence smiled and waved Pearl over to her. "I'm swamped," Prudence told her. "Would you mind opening up your fortune table, just to see if some of these people ease up? We'll never be able to flush out the warlock that is lurking about at this rate!"_

"_Sure," Pearl replied readily. _

"_But," Pearl whispered, "about that warlock. Can I do anything to help this time? I know that my powers are weak, but I still have them and I was hoping….."_

"_Pearl," Prudence answered exasperated. "You know that Pippy and I cherish you dearly, and we would never try to keep you away, but from what we can tell of this warlock, he's far too powerful. He absorbs the powers of witches, and you're not strong enough yet to fight him off."_

_Pearls heart sank. She knew that her powers weren't nearly as strong as her cousins, Prudence and Pippy, but she couldn't help but to feel that they underestimated her. She was sure that one day she could prove to them that she was a first-rate witch, and one day the warlocks and demons would fear her just as much as they feared them. Smiling, she held her head high and announced that her fortune booth would be open momentarily._

_The booth indeed gave Prudence less customers. Something about mortal beings was that they were anxious to know when they would find love, where they would find money, or if their husbands were cheating with and who. The booth was full of trivial problems, nonsense really but Pearl enjoyed giving them hope to fuel their dreams._

_A little girl appeared at Pearls side, tugging at her sleeve. Pearl looked down fondly at the little girl. She was a beautiful child with long blond hair and pretty blue eyes. Her face was round and innocent, her expression that of admiration and wonder._

"_What can I do for you, Christina?" Pearl asked as she took the girls little hand into her own. The warmth of it melted her heart._

"_When are you going to teach me how to tell the future," Christina asked innocently._

_Pearl smiled and pull the girl close for a hug. "When you're older, my dear. Right now, magic isn't something to be played with. You have to learn the rules first."_

_Christina smiled and ran off. Pearl watched her go, her heart yearning for a daughter of her own. She was full aware that Christina would never truly learn how to tell the future, but perhaps with a few tricks and learned deception, Christina would be the one sitting at this booth in the years to follow. _

"_So tell me, Seer of the Future," a mans voice said. "What is in your future?"_

_Pearl looked up to see the most stunning man she had ever seen before. He was tall with dark black hair. His eyes were soft brown, his jaw line chisled like that of an ancient God. Pearl could tell, even under his black blazer, that he was very muscular and toned. He smiled a smile that made her knees go weak, and she silently thanked the powers above that she was sitting, for surely she would have collapsed._

"_I've never been good at telling my own future," Pearl replied coyly. "Perhaps you could take a look into my crystal ball and tell me."_

_He raised an eyebrow and looked deep into her soul. He pulled out the seat and took both of her hands in his own, continuing to stare intently into her eyes. Pearl felt chills go through her body, as if a current of electricity had shot through her._

"_Well," he said thoughtfully. "I'm not very good at telling the future either, but I do plan for the future."_

"_Oh?" she asked demurely, matching his gaze. "And what is it that you are planning on?"_

"_On taking you out to dinner, a show, and perhaps a walk along the beach this Friday," he answered coolly._

_Pearls heart seemed to stop beating. Could this man, this perfectly handsome and charming man truly be interested in her? _

"_Hmmm," Pearl said, pretending to consult her crystal ball. "I'm seeing here that your plans may not be."_

"_Oh, but they have to be!" he protested._

"_Well, I can't change what the ball says. But… wait a minute what is this I see?" She answered playfully, leaning closer to the ball. The scent of him, musky and clean, filled her nostrils and she caught her breath._

"_Oh what?" he asked, also leaning close to the ball. "I have to know!"_

"_Well," Pearl whispered, "It is telling me that if you—"_

_Pearl was cut off mid sentence by the warmth of his soft lips touching hers. The tenderness of the kiss spread through her body, and she was suddenly unaware of the people around her. He ran his thumb gently down her jaw to the bottem of her chin and pulled away, leaving her to cry out silently for more._

"_I will pick you up 7 in the evening," he said as he stood up. She simply nodded dumbly and watched him walk away. Quite a view, she thought to herself._

Melinda blinked as she came back into her own world. She had finished reading the excerpt and wanted nothing more to read the next, but the visit back in time exhausted her. Melinda smiled to herself as she felt a connection with Pearl. Both of them were held back by their family, at least now Melinda knew she wasn't the only one. Looking up, she let out a little scream. A man was standing in her room, watching her intently. She raised her hands to throw him away from her, but quickly realized that it was her boyfriend, Tony.

"How the Hell did you get in here?" She asked him.

"Umm, through the door?" he answered her.

"My door was locked," she replied.

"No it wasn't," he answered. He reached behind him and turned the doorknob back and forth.

She stared at the door completely dumbfounded. She was sure that she had locked the door.

"Must have been some book," Tony said gesturing to the diary. "I've been standing here for a full 5 minutes and you didn't even notice me."

Melinda tried to laugh it off. Tony didn't know that she was a witch yet, and she wasn't quite ready to tell him. She thought things were getting serious, but she didn't want to push too fast and risk exposure to her entire family.

"I swear that door was locked," she said again.

"Well, it wasn't," Tony replied. Then grinning he added, "But it is now."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Melinda woke with a start. Glancing at the clock, she realized that she had drifted off to sleep for about an hour. As she came to her senses, she figured out what had woken her so suddenly. There was yelling coming in through her open door from the hallway.

'Oh, God!' she thought to herself. 'Tony!'

Rushing from her bedroom, wrapped in nothing but a sheet, Melinda came face to face with the ugly reality that was her life. Chris stood glowering at Tony in front of the bathroom door. Tony, clad in only his boxers, glowered back at him. Behind her, Melinda heard another person running up the stairs. She didn't have time to be embarrassed, because by the looks of it, her boyfriend and her brother were about to come to blows.

"What's going on?" she squealed, stepping between the two men.

"Go back to your room, Melinda." Chris said through clenched teeth. He never gook his eyes off of Tony.

"Excuse me?" Melinda breathed. "Number one, I am not a child. Number two, even if I were you aren't my father and you have no right to send me to my room. You need to check yourself, Chris."

"This is between me and him," Tony said gently as he put his hands on her bare shoulders. "You go on ahead and get some clothes on. You'll catch your death standing in this drafty house."

"No!" she exclaimed.

"What's going on up here? Oh…. Oh… wow." Wyatt said as he reached the scene of the commotion. "Yeah, this is bad."

"Don't start, Wyatt." Melinda warned.

Wyatt threw Chris a look, and put his hands up helplessly. "I'm not starting anything."

"Baby, go put some clothes on," Tony urged Melinda. "I can handle myself against this guy."

"These guys," Wyatt said. His tone was calm and even, but something about it was threatening and cruel.

"Wyatt," Melinda said.

"Go put some clothes on Melinda. It's bad enough me and Wyatt get to see you looking like a slut… what if Mom or Dad come home?"

"Don't you DARE call her that," Tony exploded at Chris.

"What are you to do about it?" Chris replied as Wyatt positioned himself next to his brother.

"Nothing in front of the lady," Tony replied.

"Yeah, if you thought she was a lady then she wouldn't be standing out here in the nude!" Wyatt said, beginning to lose his temper. Turning to Melinda he added, "Please, we promise we won't hurt your boyfriend, but go put some clothes on already!"

Despite that all the men were telling her to get dressed, Melinda finally realized that she was in fact standing there with nothing to cover her but a thin sheet. Too angry to be embarrassed, she turned on her heel and slammed her bedroom door. She could hear the argument persist in the hallway, but they were all using hushed voices so she couldn't completely understand what was being said. She pulled on a pair of jeans and slipped into Tony's sweatshirt just to spite her brothers.

"I won't go until Melinda asks me to go," Tony was saying as Melinda opened the door.

"Tell him to go," Chris said in Melinda's direction.

Melinda looked from her brothers to her boyfriend and weighed the consequences. Moving swiftly across the hall, she stood next to Tony and wrapped her arm around his waist. She looked up into his soft brown eyes and sighed.

"I really don't want to deal with this," she told him defeated. "I'll see you tomorrow night?"

"Of course," he smiled down at her. Kissing her on the forehead, and completely ignoring the boys, Tony walked into Melinda's room to retrieve the rest of his clothes.

"How could you do that to me?" she asked incredulously to her brothers. "Do you have any idea how humiliating that was?"

"I can't believe you would do that, in this house, in our parents house, with him!" Chris sputtered, beside himself with rage.

"What!" she exclaimed. "It wasn't very long ago that I walked in on you and Bianca! Before that it was Wyatt and Charmain… why is it okay for you two to do it and not me?"

"Because," Wyatt said calmly. "Tony is a dirtbag and the thought of him putting his hands on you….."

"Then don't think about it! I am 20 years old, I am well old enough to do what I want to, with who I want to and I don't care if you like it or not!" Melinda turned on her heel and stormed into her room. Looking around she didn't see Tony. He must have slipped out while she was arguing with her brothers. She didn't blame him for not saying goodbye, she wouldn't even blame him if he never wanted to see her again. She slammed her door and flopped down on her bed. The smell of Tony still lingered in her pillowcase and it reminded her of Pearl. The next entry should be about the date with the gorgeous man of her dreams!

"_How do you know that this guy is safe to go out with?" Pippy was asking Pearl. _

_Pearl rolled her eyes and applied some color to her lids. Her cousin was so overprotective. _

"_How did you know Gordan was safe to go out with?" she asked her cousin._

"_For one thing, I knew his name!" Pippy exclaimed._

"_Cousin, calm down! I'll be fine. I may not be as powerful as you and Prudence, but I still have powers. If he tries anything with me, I'll simply light him on fire." _

_Pippy and Pearl locked gazes, and they both started to giggle like schoolgirls. Between her two cousins, Pippy was the one that Pearl connected with the best. She was happy for this moment, because since Pippy and Gordan got married Pearl felt like a third wheel. As hateful as it may have seemed, Pearl was overjoyed when Pippy had the affair with Lucas and secretly hoped that Gordan would find out and leave them forever._

"_I can't wait for you to have that baby," Pearl sighed. "Then you'll have someone other than me to mother!"_

_Pippy sighed and looked away, the mood suddenly gone. Pearl glanced up at the reflection in the mirror of her cousin and caught tears flooding her eyes._

"_What?" Pearl asked jumping to her feet. "What happened?"_

"_Nothing," Pippy answered trying to hold back her tears. "Nothing happened. That's the problem. The baby, it was a false alarm. I guess I just wanted a baby so bad… I was just… I'm not pregnant. I never was."_

_Pearl rushed to her cousin's side and wrapped her arms around her. She knew how bad Pippy wanted this baby. Pearl herself had foreseen the child, but perhaps the timing was off. Pippy buried her head in Pearls shoulder and let out half of a sob. Then, straightening up and regaining her composure she looked Pearl over._

"_Well, he who remains unnamed will be here in 10 minutes. I hope you're not planning to wear that!"_

_Pearl looked down at her clothes. She was still in a pair of button down pajamas that she slipped into after her bath. _

"_Oh!" she exclaimed. "Get out! Get out now so that I can get dressed!"_

Melinda was suddenly relocated from Melinda's bedroom to the foyer.

_A knock came at the door, and the outline of a man holding a bouquet of flowers appeared behind the stained glass. Pearls heart skipped a beat as she stood on the staircase. She held onto the banister for dear life, for surely she felt she must faint. Prudence came rushing from the other room and looked up at Pearl. She gave her a look of amused distaste and swung the door open._

"_Hello," Prudence said. "I'm Pearls cousin, Pru-"_

"_Prudence Bowens," the man finished the sentence for her. "It is an honor to meet you. May I say, you are every bit as lovely as the photographs that have made you famous about this town, I am a huge fan of yours. I am known as Anton Dumeans and it is a pleasure."_

_Pearl felt a shiver of jealousy as Anton took Prudence's hand and brought it to his lips. He looked up the stairs and caught her gaze. He straightened his back upon laying his eyes on her and smiled a smile only for her. She gracefully walked down the steps to meet him and took his hand._

_The evening was lovely. He took her to the Golden Gate Theatre to see a local rendition of the Broadway show No, No Nanette. Later, he made due with his promise of dinner and a walk on the beach. The walked for about half of a mile, just chatting and laughing together when they came upon a little picnic laid out complete with wine and candles stuck into the sand. She shot a sideways glance at him._

"_Is that ours?" she asked._

"_Well, it doesn't look like anyone else is using it." He replied vaguely. _

"_How did you do this?" she asked._

"_I had a friend come out ahead of us," he answered as he ushered her to sit on the blanket that was laid out before them. "I wanted this evening to be perfect."_

_They sat for awhile longer and nibbled on cheese and crackers, telling on another of each others lives. Anton seemed resistant to talk about his family, so Pearl let it go. From what she could gather, he was from an abusive family and it looked as though it pained him to talk about his father._

After that first date, Melinda went through a series of Pearls memories. Nothing in as in depth, but she could tell that Pearl and Anton were falling deeper and deeper in love. The cousins seemed to warm up to him quickly, and they were together all of the time. Melinda caught a glimpse of them sharing candlelit dinners and late morning breakfasts. He was always at the manor watching her as she told the future of different people. He held her waist tightly on even strolls downtown, held doors open for her, and kissed her gently every night on the doorstep.

Melinda couldn't help but to smile stupidly to herself. It was almost as if she were reading a trashy romance novel, but it was so much better because it was a true romance. Melinda came across a longer journal entry and sat herself more comfortably on the bed. She felt a sense of longing and heartbreak as the story began to unfold itself.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"_No!" Pearl cried. She was hysterical, her heart felt as if it would pound out of her chest, her whole body felt like rubber, and tears were streaming down her face._

"_NO! You're wrong! It's just not possible!" Her body was shaking and she felt as if she were going to throw up right there in the attic._

_Her cousins stood on the other side of the altar looking forlornly at her. In front of them was the Book of Shadows, much smaller than it was in Melinda's time. Pearl stood opposite them, crying and shaking violently._

"_You're wrong! You know that you're wrong. You have to be sure first, you can't just vanquish an innocent man on an assumption!"_

"_Pearl, Sweetie…" Pippy said helplessly. "It's not an assumption. Our sources tell us that it is in fact him. He's been using you, using you to get closer to us, to all of us, to steal our powers."_

"_Why would he do that?" Melinda asked, although she already knew the answer._

"_Because that's what warlocks do! Not to mention Melinda Warrens prophecy. The time is coming soon in which the Charmed Ones will be born, and they could be descendents of any of us! If the Underworld strips us now, then they will have nothing worry about in the future. You know that!" Prudence told her flatly._

"_You just don't understand. I don't know who your sources are, but you're wrong. Anton loves me, and I love him. He would never hurt me, or hurt you because he knows how much I love you. Anton is NOT a warlock!" Pearl wasn't in denial. She truly believed that her cousins were wrong._

"_Pearl, just think about it. Think about all the little things that seemed odd, but we all blew off. Remember at Thanksgiving, Gordan swore that the carving knife should have taken off the tip of Anton's finger, but there wasn't even a scratch," Pippy said calmly._

"_It's not true!" Pearl cried a final time. As she ran from the room she heard her cousins calling after her, but she didn't care. She needed to find Anton, she needed to warn him. She had to figure out a way to prove to them that he wasn't evil, that he wasn't a warlock, and that he loved her, and was going to be a part of their family!_

_She and Anton were deeply in love. All she had to do was think about him and he would be there. He would show up on the doorstep, or she would run into him out on the street. He would send her flowers if she was feeling low, he always seemed to know. _

'_But,' she thought to herself. 'How did he always know? And why, after all these months have I never been to his home? After all these months, I still know nothing of his family. Stop this, I'm thinking crazy. They're putting crazy ideas in my head. He is the man I love, not a warlock…'_

_Pearl found herself walking along the beach, the very same path he had taken her down on their first date. She looked around and shuddered inwardly. This was the first time she had been there during daylight hours, and had never noticed how truly secluded it was. There wasn't a soul to be seen, and cliffs blocked any view from the east. Where the picnicked was down, near a cavern that was hidden from view of anybody. She stopped in her tracks and thought of their first date. The picnic had been laid out, with candles freshly lit. Nobody could have gotten there and gone away unnoticed._

"_Hello, my love. What are you doing here?" She heard a voice from behind her._

_Slowly she turned and came face to face with Anton. His soft gaze looked lovingly upon her, and she felt no fear. She ran to him and let herself be completely wrapped in his embrace. She sobbed into his muscular chest and he stroked her hair. Finally, when she calmed down she looked up at him._

"_Anton…" she said. "Please, be honest with me. We've been through too much, and I deserve the truth."_

"_Anything for you. I couldn't lie to you if I wanted to," he said sincerely._

_Pearl choked back a sob. If in face Anton was the Warlock that she and her cousins were hunting for so many months she didn't know if she could handle it._

"_Anton, I'm a witch. A true born, bonefied witch. When I look into my crystal ball, I really see those peoples futures. I cast spells and fight demons and warlocks," she told him. A worried look crossed his face._

"_Anton, my cousins and I have been hunting a very powerful warlock. One that has the power to take our powers, and that can completely destroy us. Anton, tell me… are you that warlock?"_

_Anton pulled away from the embrace and held her at arms length. He stared at her for what seemed an eternity. Pearl could almost see him thinking, feel the emotions streaming within his soul._

"_Anton," she choked. "Answer me!"_

_He sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. "Yes."_

"_NO!" she screamed. "You're lying to me!"_

"_Pearl, my darling," he said softly. "I'm not lying to you. I couldn't lie to you! You are my life. I came to the speakeasy to destroy you and your cousins, and when I saw you I knew that you were the most vunerable. I figured that I could take you down first, I would pick you each off one by one."_

"_No," Pearl said stepping backwards. "It's not true. You're making this up!" She turned to run away. Fear beginning to encompass her being._

_He grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "I couldn't do it! I fell in love with you that first night!"_

"_Warlocks are evil," she spat at him. "They're incapable of love!"_

"_That's not true!" he told her. "I used to think it was true, but then I met you. I met you and I realized that you are the reason that I was put here on earth. I love you, I love you more than anything!"_

_Tears overcame her as she collapsed to the sand. Sobs racked through her body, for she loved Anton with her whole soul, too. She knew at that moment that she would never be able to vanquish him, but at the same token, she could no longer be with him. She felt him sit next to her in the sand and wrap his arms around her. She leaned into him and allowed him to hold her close until she regained her wits about her._

"_Do you really love me?" she asked him; her eyes swollen and red from the tears._

"_Of course I do," he answered softly._

"_And you'll do anything for me?" she asked._

"_Whatever you wish."_

"_I need you to go away from here. My cousins will vanquish you, and I can't watch it. I need you to go, and never come back."_

"_But," Anton said. "What about us? We can figure out a way…"_

"_No," she said sadly. "We can't. There is no way. They'll kill you."_

_Anton took her chin in his hand and tilted her face up to him. She tried to turn away, for she couldn't bare to look at him. Her heart was breaking into a million pieces and she didn't know how long she could control her emotions. He leaned in for one more knee buckling, electrifying kiss._

"_I love you," he told her before he shimmered away._

_Pearl broke into tears once more. She wanted so badly to tell him, but she knew that if he did then he would never go. She wouldn't allow her cousins to kill him, but if he knew about the baby then he would put himself at risk._

Melinda closed the diary and laid down on her bed. Tears were streaming down her face as well. Her spell had worked a little too well, and she could feel the pain that Pearl had experienced all those years ago. Pearl must have truly loved him to have sent him away like that. The emotional toll that entry took on Melinda was mind blowing to her. She closed her eyes and decided to rest before she continued on.

"Are you done moping yet," Chris said through the door. "Because we need to talk."

"Go away, Chris." She mumbled, knowing that it wouldn't do her any good.

"I'm coming in," he called ignoring her request.

She sat up on her bed and looked at him as he crossed the threshold to her room. He had calmed down and his face wasn't hardened with hatred anymore. Instead, he looked concerned and determined. She sighed and motioned for him to sit on the foot of his bed. She knew that no amount of arguing would drive him away. What she didn't expect, was Wyatt following close behind him.

She shook her head and sat patiently waiting for the lecture. She really expected Chris to do the talking. Although Wyatt was older, Chris seemed to take charge more often. He was the one that had experienced three lifetimes, and had the wisdom of an old man.

"I really don't like that guy," Wyatt told her. Melinda blinked and diverted her attention to her oldest brother.

"Well, I do." Melinda stated. She could feel her temper starting to flare.

"Don't get mad. We just worry about you," Chris said, sensing her anger. "We know that you're a grown woman and that you are fully capable to make your own decisions."

"Oh?" she asked hotly. "Is that your way of apologizing for calling me a slut?"

"Lets not pick a fight," Wyatt interjected. "But Melinda, you can't just let people roam this house. There's way too much that could be found. What if he wandered up to the attic, or found some of the herbs in the kitchen?"

"God, Wyatt!" she said. "He was going pee!"

Wyatt and Chris exchanged a look.

"What?" Melinda asked.

"Nothing," Chris said. "You're right. We over reacted and I'm sorry for calling you a slut. We just want you to be safe."

Wyatt and Chris rose together and started to walk out of the room when Wyatt paused and looked over his shoulder at his sister.

"We're going to go up to the attic. There's another uprising in the Underworld that we need to take care of. Would you like to come along?"

Chris looked from his older brother to his younger sister. He elbowed Wyatt in the ribs, but Wyatt didn't flinch. He was looking intently at Melinda waiting for an answer.

"You know what?" she said to them. "I am so furious at you two right now, I would be afraid I'd vanquish one, if not both, of you instead of the demons so I think I'll take a rain check."

"Deal," Wyatt said with half a smile. "But just so you know, it's not demons it's warlocks. And we're only after one warlock in particular… the ring leader of them all."

"Then I guess you won't need my help," Melinda said flatly.

Wyatt and Chris stood outside Melinda's door and exchanged a worried look. Neither one of them said it, but they both knew how very much they needed Melinda's help to take out this particular evil.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Hi!" Phoebe exclaimed and she bustled through the door, her arms loaded full of grocery bags. Her daughter rushed to her side and relieved her of some of the burden and followed her mother into the kitchen silently.

Phoebe didn't look back at her daughter, but she knew something was wrong. She set the bags on the counter, motioned for Pricilla to put away the canned goods and Phoebe started unloading the perishables.

"You know," Phoebe said as she made a face at something she pulled out of the refrigerator, "When you were born I had the hardest time!"

"What?" Pricilla asked, taken off guard.

"Some women get post partum depression after their babies are born, simply because they don't know what's wrong with the little thing. With my being an empath, I knew exactly what was wrong and there was nothing I could do about it. It was so hard knowing that I couldn't explain to this tiny little creature that the world wasn't really that scary."

Pricilla turned from the pantry and looked at her mother. "So, what did you do?"

"Well," Phoebe replied picking up a container of cottage cheese, "I considered putting an empath blocky potion in your bottle."

"Mom!" Pricilla exclaimed.

Phoebe laughed and put a plastic bag into the trash can. "Well, obviously I didn't! Your Aunt Piper made me realize what a blessing it was, and as you got older I realized that I really was lucky. As you got older you learned naturally shield it so that I wasn't overcome by childhood emotion. I was especially thankful for it during puberty."

Pricilla laughed and put a box of lasagna noodles away.

"What are you getting at Mom?" she asked.

"I said you were able to shield it, not block it. Something is eating away at you so why don't you just tell me?" Phoebe said as she closed the refrigerator door.

Pricilla sighed and leaned against the wall. How was she supposed to tell her mother that her favorite cousin was losing her mind? Growing up, Melinda was always kind, and always put everyone before herself. She never lost her temper, always stayed level headed, and took pleasure in being treated like a princess by every male family member in her life.

"I'm worried about Melinda," Pricilla blurted. "She's acting strange."

"I agree," Phoebe said. "But, I think she'll be okay. Billie and I talked to her after the BBQ and she seemed better after that. She's just trying to find her place in the world."

"No, Mom." Pricilla insisted. "It's so much more than that! I can feel it. She is such a wreck right now that I can't even read her. When I'm around her I feel like hitting something, and when we were in the alley behind the movie theatre, I wanted to kill something."

Phoebe nodded, although she didn't sense any rage in her niece, she knew that her daughter's sense of empathy was stronger than her own. Phoebe learned years ago that she needed to trust in her children because not only were they witches, but they were also led by love… literally.

"What do you think is going on?" she asked her daughter.

"I think that she's turning," Pricilla said sadly.

"Turning how?" Phoebe asked, fearing what the answer was.

"Turning from good, Mom." Pricilla said fighting back tears. She couldn't bring herself to say the word evil.

"No," Phoebe said. "I trust in your instincts, but you're wrong! This is Melinda we're talking about Pricilla, not some random witch!"

"I know, Mom. We have to do something before she…."

Phoebe hugged her daughter tightly and they shared a tender moment. Tears were shed on both sides, and the moved into the living room where they could sit comfortably and chat. Even though she didn't want to admit it, Phoebe knew that her daughter had to be right.

The question was now, what could they do about it without alarming Piper? It would truly tear the family apart if they accused Melinda of becoming evil without reason, and Piper would never forgive them if Melinda did turn evil and they didn't do anything to help. They were certainly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Meanwhile…

Melinda was getting ready for her date with Tony. She danced to the music coming from her radio as she stood in her closet trying to pick the perfect outfit. She had never thought much about a relationship before, but her heart belonged to him. She was driving home from class one day when she had an unexpected blowout. She lost control of her car, but luckily she was able to use her power of telekinesis to guide it safely to the side of the road. She saved her own life, but she had banged her head pretty hard, and the airbag broke her arm. She sat at the side of the road, waiting for the cars to pass so that she could call one of her brothers to come heal her when Tony ran up beside her window.

That first image was forever burned into her memory. He was staring down at her with the most intense black eyes she had ever seen. His tanned face was almost glowing in the California sun that shone down on him. His black hair was matted down by the motorcycle helmet he held in his hand, and his muscular arms were bare under the leather vest that he wore.

He pulled the car door open and examined her, promising her that everything would be okay. He told her that he watched the whole thing happen in slow motion, and he had no clue how she pulled the car off to the shoulder, almost like it was magic. The car had struck the side rail, which inflated the airbags, but it was still drivable. He pulled out his cell phone, called an ambulance, and then Wyatt to come pick up the car. A week later, he called her at home and asked her out on a date. Ever since then they saw each other all of the time, and she frequently caught herself imagining herself in a wedding dress with him at her side.

Someone knocked on her door, pulling her out of her daydream.

"Come in," she called.

"Hey," she heard Billie say. "Going out?"

"Yeah," Melinda replied smiling. "Tony is taking me out sailing to watch the sunset."

"How romantic," Billie cooed.

"Yeah, isn't it?" Melinda giggled.

Billie crossed the room to Melinda's closet and inspected the contents.

"Well," she said. "If you're going sailing for a romantic sunset date, then you should definitely wear this!"

Billie pulled out a butter colored sweater with a dangerously low V neck and a sea green linen wrap skirt. She rummaged around the bottom of the closet and found a pair of strapless sandals that completed the outfit. Melinda's eyes were wide with enthusiasm and she squealed with delight.

"Don't forget this," Billie said as she reached down and unfastened an ankle bracelet from her own leg. "This will make everything perfect!"

"Thank you!" Melinda exclaimed hugging Billie. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you need something?"

"Oh," Billie answered. "I was just wondering if you could come over next weekend to help me. I was going through my storage shed and found a box that I haven't seen in 20 years. It's full of old pictures of my parents, and I thought maybe I could get your and your creativity to come help me scrapbook them."

"Sure!" Melinda replied as she fussed with her hair in front of her vanity. "Just let me know."

"Okay, it's a date then." Billie answered smiling. "I'll leave you to get dressed, have fun tonight!"

Billie left the room and cut down the hall to the bathroom. She rummaged through her purse and found her cell phone. Hitting a speed dial, she was instantly connected to Phoebe.

"Did you give her the charm?" Phoebe asked.

"Easy as pie," Billie whispered.

"Good, at least we'll know she'll be safe. I don't want to send her over the edge." Phoebe replied thoughtfully.

"Is this really necessary, Phoebe? She's a smart girl."

"I have to trust my daughter, and I can't let Melinda slip away so I'm not taking any chances. Thank you, Billie."

Melinda finished getting ready and went downstairs to wait for Tony to arrive. She felt good, she felt sexy and at ease. She thought about Pearl, and how much in love she was with Anton in the beginning and couldn't help but to think that she truly understood. It must have been so hard to send him away.

"DAMN! You look HOT!" Wyatt exclaimed as he caught sight of his kid sister in the sitting room.

"Thanks," Melinda laughed.

"Dude, that's your sister!" Chris exclaimed. "Whoa… you do look hot!"

Melinda threw her head back and laughed heartily. She knew that her brothers were full aware that she was going out with Tony, and that they were making an effort to make nice with her. She winked at them both and headed to the kitchen to get a drink.

"Shake it, don't break it," she heard Wyatt yell at her. Then she heard a thump, and Wyatt muttered something to Chris. She smiled to herself.

Billie was sitting at the table playing cards with Piper. They looked up as she walked in and Piper raised an eyebrow.

"You look nice," Piper said.

"Yeah she does," Billie added. "I picked that outfit out and she doesn't look half bad if I do say so myself!"

Melinda smiled and turned the sink on to fill her glass. Suddenly, she got a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. The water poured out of the faucet and overflowed the sink. There was an inch of water at her feet and she couldn't move. Terror racked through her body, she squeezed the glass so hard that it shattered in her hand. She watched her blood gush down, mixing with the water and turning pink as it swirled at her feet. She unleashed a scream.

Piper was in front of her, both hands firmly rooted on Melinda's shoulders. Billie stood off to the side staring at her. Melinda came to and looked around. The water at her feet was gone, the faucet water going down the drain as intended, and the glass was still in her hand.

"What's wrong?" Piper asked her, panicked.

"The water… it was flooding… I cut my hand… I couldn't move.. there was blood…. Everywhere!" she stammered.

Piper looked to Billie, and Billie shrugged in confusion. Wyatt and Chris came running in to find out what had happened. Piper explained to the boys what had happened, and they all sat down trying to figure out what had happened. The doorbell rang and Billie led Tony into the kitchen.

"Hey," Melinda said softly as he walked in and kissed her on the cheek. "I think I'm going to have to cancel."

"Why!" he asked as everyone else started to clear the room. Wyatt took Chris by the elbow and ushered him out.

"I'm just not feeling well," she said. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to go."

"It's your brothers isn't it?" he accused. "They talked you out of going out with me tonight!"

"No it's not my brothers, my family, or anybody else. I'm fully capable of making my own decisions!" she yelled.

"Then come on, lets go." He pleaded.

"No, Tony. I told you, I don't feel good! I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Fine," he said although everything was not fine. He had big plans for that night, and now her family was ruining it. "Call me when you feel better."


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**A/N:**

**I've had a few reviews and emails asking me for lists of ages and powers of the remaining Charmed offspring. Truth is, I haven't put much thought into it because I'm focusing more on Melinda's issues and Pearls memories. I do know that Henry is the youngest at 15 and Wyatt is the oldest at between 24-25. Since the finale didn't go into much detail about the age range between the children, we're free to pretty much use our imaginations. Hopefully, I'll have this wrapped up in the next couple of days. Please continue with your reviews, thank you so much for everything!**

_Pearl had drifted off to sleep at her booth in between patrons. Her cousins watched her with anxious eyes because she hadn't been the same since they had discovered Anton was a warlock. She came back that day with tears staining her face and swollen eyes. When they asked her what happened, she told them that Anton found her and tried to kill her. She injured him with her power of pyrokenesis and he fled. Pearl had promised that he wouldn't be coming back, but the cousins still worried that he might come back for her. _

"_Okay ladies and gentlemen," Pippy said clapping her hands as her husband finished playing a tune on the piano. _

"_That's it for tonight, we have to close up." A few people groaned and mumbled but they started to file out of the front door anyhow. Once everyone was gone, Pippy and Prudence went to Pearl. Her eyes betrayed the ache that filled her soul._

"_What is it?" Pippy asked taking Pearls hand into her own._

"_I'm pregnant," Pearl whispered. She felt so guilty, knowing that Pippy wanted a child with her beloved husband so bad… and Pearl was pregnant with the child of a warlock._

"_What?" Prudence asked in disbelief. Pearl merely looked at her eldest cousin sadly and nodded._

"_No! You can't be pregnant! Not with that man's child!" Prudence exploded. She got to her feet and started pacing, trying to figure out what could be done._

"_Well, I am." Pearl replied defensively. "There's nothing that can be done now!"_

"_We'll figure it out," Pippy said soothingly. "Don't worry, we'll figure out what to do. You should go to bed now you look exhausted."_

_Pearl awoke the next morning to Pippy and Prudence in her room. They were packing up her things and Gordan was waiting in the hall to bring the bags down to the motorcar. Pearl blinked through the sunlight and sat up on her elbows._

"_What's going on?" she asked._

"_We were up all night last night," Prudence said. "We have to send you to a convent, a place of holy ground until the baby is born."_

"_What!" Pearl exclaimed. "No!"_

"_Think about your cousins," Gordan said coldly. "If he finds out somehow that you are carrying his child, he will come back full force and you'll get them both killed!"_

"_Gordan!" Pippy scolded. Then turning to Pearl she told her, "Sweetie, we can't take the chance. Even if he doesn't find out that you are expecting, if he comes back he'll not only kill us, but your unborn babe also. You have to go somewhere safe."_

"_How can a convent be safer than here? We live here because of the Nexus!" Pearl exclaimed in wonder._

"_The Nexus isn't good or evil. It can go either way," Prudence told her. "Please, we hate to do this to you but we want to keep you safe. Now, get dressed we have to go soon."_

_Pearl rode in the backseat of the motorcar in silence. She couldn't believe that her cousins were sending her away, but she had to trust in their instincts. She had to protect her baby. Once they figured out how to keep the baby safe from Anton's influence then she could go home. The baby was still half good, and it was nurture, not nature that would mold her child._

Melinda sat on a bench reading Pearls diary. She was on her long break between classes. Usually she grabbed something to eat and went over her notes for her next class, but the diary was almost finished and she wanted to see how it ended. The baby intrigued her because she couldn't remember ever seeing an offspring from P. Russell on the family tree. She had looked and looked for some sort of clue as to who the child was, but with no avail.

"You have got to be the most beautiful woman in the world," she heard a mans voice say behind her.

She leaned back into his warm body as he put his hands on her shoulders and gently massaged her neck.

"Hi," she said smiling up at Tony. "I thought you were mad at me."

"No, I wasn't mad at you. I was frustrated."

"I know, Baby. I'm sorry. It's just, some things happened and I really couldn't go. I love you though," she smiled.

"I love you too," he said seriously. Melinda watched in shock as he dropped to his knees and reached into his inside jacket pocket. "I wanted to do this at sunset last night, but since we're here and I can't wait another minute… Melinda Prudence Haliwell, will you be my wife?"

She stared down at the ring that he held in his hand. Set in white gold, the little diamond sparked in the sunlight. Tony took her left hand nervously, his own shaking a bit, and edged the ring just past her fingernail. He looked up at her expectantly, waiting for her answer.

At first, Melinda couldn't speak. Her mouth had gone dry and she felt as if sandpaper coated her tongue. A huge lump seemed to form in her throat making it hard to breathe, and tears rushed to her lids. Finally, after what seemed an eternity to them both, she managed a meek nod.

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes I'll be your wife!"

Tony jumped to his feet and picked Melinda up. He spun her around and kissed her passionately on the lips. A cheer erupted from the crowd that had surrounded them while he waited for her answer. Blushing, Melinda looked up at her peers and smiled.

"I'm getting married!" she exclaimed.

--------------------------

"I don't think so!" Leo raged at his daughter. Melinda looked at her father as if he had lost his mind.

"Leo," Piper said calmly. "Would you sit down?"

Leo had been pacing the room for a full ten minutes since Melinda came home and announced that she was engaged. He didn't take kindly to the idea of his baby girl getting married at a mere 20 years old. It was fine when they were casually dating, but that boy was scum.

"This is ridiculous!" Leo said as he sat down next to his wife. "Don't I have any say in this? She is my daughter!"

"Talk to me, Dad." Melinda said quietly. "Please, Daddy, I want your blessing. I really love him."

"If you loved him as much as you think you do, then you'd be willing to wait… right?" Leo asked hopefully trying a different approach.

"Sure, as long as it's a reasonable amount of time. I mean, obviously it has to be a long engagement, you know, 3-4 months. I need time to plan this wedding!" Melinda replied, excitement building in her voice.

"No, that's not what I mean." Leo said. "I mean, wait on the engagement. If he really loves you, then he'll wait until you finish school, and have your own career established before the talk of marriage comes up. He'll wait for you like I waited for your mom. That's how you know it's true love, he'll wait for you."

"Dad," Melinda said. "I'm getting married."

"Sweetie," Piper said. "Have you even told him that you're a witch yet?"

"No," Melinda replied. "But I will. I'll tell him tonight when he comes to dinner."

"Tell who what at dinner?" Wyatt asked as he came into the room. He was covered in sweat and his skin had a healthy glow. "Dinner sounds good! I'm starving. I ran like 6 miles nonstop. Felt good!"

"Tell Tony that I'm a witch at dinner," Melinda replied, not taking her eyes off her father.

"What!" Chris interjected as he followed Wyatt in panting. "No, no you can't do that! You'll expose the family. Exposure is bad!"

"Well," Melinda said turning her gaze to her brothers. "That won't be a problem since he's going to _be _family."

"Well," Leo said. "I don't know about that. We're still discussing it."

"What are you talking about?" Wyatt asked suspiciously.

"This," Melinda answered beaming. She flashed her left hand up and the diamond sparkled.

"Oh no!" Chris groaned.

"Don't worry, Con." Leo said. "Like I said, we're still discussing it."

"There's nothing to discuss, Dad!" Melinda exclaimed.

"Yes, there is!" Leo said, his temper beginning to flare. "I am your father and you will listen to me, do you understand young lady. I will not allow this marriage to happen!"

"Leo!" Piper said, her eyes wide with shock.

"Try and stop me!" Melinda said grabbing her purse and storming out the door.

By the time Melinda arrived at Tony's flat she was furious. The episode with her family had really shaken her. It was one thing for her family to be over protective, but now the control factor was just unstoppable. She wanted to marry Tony right now, this very moment! She banged on the door and fell into his arms. Through tears, she explained everything to him.

"Okay," Tony said thoughtfully as he guided her to the couch. "Give me the ring back."

"What!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "No, I'm going to marry you! I want to marry you! You can't turn back now! You can't agree with them!"

"You are going to marry me," Tony replied calmly. "I'll make it happen, but you don't need this kind of stress. Give me the ring, go home and tell them that we decided to wait, or that we broke up, whatever. I'll take care of everything and I'll see you in a few days."

Melinda nodded and slipped the ring off her finger. He took it from her and hugged her tight. He buried his face in her hair and smiled to himself.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**A/N**

**In response—**

_**Forgive me if the direction this is going begins to seem rather...clich? The Halliwells end up having to vanquish her fianc and Melinda ends up single and pregnant with a half-demon or half-warlock child but everything will really be okay in the end and she'll be a great parent?**_

Hope my tone so far hasn't bothered you. It's not as if I like doom and gloom, even if I think the solution above doesn't go anywhere near describing the kind of damage Melinda would really be doing to herself and any baby involved. It's just...I think most authors don't take these issues anywhere near seriously enough. I don't know. We'll have to see where this goes from here. But so far, Melinda is still acting entirely like a fifteen-year-old and it would be fun to see the story head in an original direction.

Anyway, thanks! If you want to discuss, I'd be glad to talk.

**You haven't bothered me one little bit! I appreciate all constructive criticism, however I do find it a bit offensive that you would think that I would be so very dull! The story is wrapping up quickly and will be finished within a couple of days. I do hope that you will continue reading and let me know what you think of the twists and turns. I will give you this bit of spoiler though… No, the Haliwells do not vanquish Tony, and no, Melinda is very faithful to her pill so will not end up pregnant. Melinda does still have some growing up to do, and will do so as she comes to the revelations I promised in the description. That being said, I hope this didn't sound bitchy as that was not my intent, but I did feel the need to reply to you.**

**Please continue to R/R as I always appreciate constructive criticism and compliments too!**

_Pearl sat on the cot of her little cell that the nuns called a room. She shared the tiny space with another expectant mother of about 15 years old. Pearl's heart went out to the other girl, because it was for sure that her unborn baby would be put up for adoption and the young mother would never see her child again._

_Pearl's belly was round and full. There never seemed a moment where her baby slept, and it moved and kicked her all of the time from the inside. She placed her hands on her stomach and smiled. The nuns at the convent were strict yet sweet, and Sister Mary Francis tried to convince her not to get attatched to the babe. Streams of would be parents came from across the state to try to convince her, and other mothers to give them their children. Pearl smiled and played along, knowing full well that soon she would be back in San Francisco with her new baby._

_Prudence and Pippy knocked on the door, and Pearl's roommate politely excused herself. Most of the women here didn't get visitors, but Pearl was an exception. Prudence had been friends with Father O'malley since grade school. He knew that the three of them were witches, and despite his Catholic faith, he protected them and made special allowances for Pearls condition._

"_Hi," Pearl beamed at her cousins. "Quick come over here. The baby has hiccups!"_

_Pearl exposed her pregnant tummy to her cousins. Her stomach was jumping up and down rhythmically. Pearl watched in amazement, smiling to herself and wondering what the child would look like. It wouldn't be long now, maybe a few weeks, before she gave birth. Hopefully, Prudence and Pippy were here to bring her home._

_Pippy approached Pearl and laid her hand on Pearl to feel the baby hiccupping from inside. _

"_That's amazing," Pippy said. "Prudence, come feel this!"_

_Prudence stood back, watching with a look of sadness on her face. Pearl could tell that something was wrong, something was very very wrong. Prudence crossed the room and sat next to Pearl trying to find the right words. Pearl felt a pit at the bottom of her heart and caught her breath._

"_What is it?" she asked, instinctively placing both hands protectively on her unborn babe._

"_Pearl, do you remember the entry in the book of shadows from Melinda Warren?" Prudence asked._

"_Which one?"_

"_The one of her prophecy, to make each generation stronger in their powers until finally three sisters are culminated to the ultimate witches," Prudence replied._

"_Of course, The Charmed Ones," Pearl replied. She was confused, what did this have to do with her?_

_Prudence nodded and looked deeply at Pearl. Pearl stared dumbly back at her and waited a few long moments before she broke the silence._

"_Forgive me, cousin." Pearl said. "But I really don't care about Melinda Warren's prophecy right now. In case you didn't notice, I'm about to give birth myself and I want to be home before I do it. Have you figured out a way to keep Anton away?"_

_Prudence and Pippy looked at each other and then back to Pearl, but they didn't say anything. Pippy got up and closed the door and laid her head against the cool wood._

"_Pearl," Pippy said. "Your baby will definitely be powerful… with it being half warlock and half witch."_

"_What if the prophecy comes to life from your baby? What if the Charmed Ones end up being evil?" Prudence finished._

"_My baby isn't going to be evil," Pearl defended. "I can raise her to be good, I swear!"_

_Prudence and Pippy sat silently with her, and heartache filled the room. It was true, each generation was to get stronger until the birth of three sisters, but there was no guarantee that her offspring would beget the prophesized witches. Anton wasn't pure evil anyway, he was capable of love, and love is pure and good. _

"_Besides," Pearl said thoughtfully. "There is nothing that you can do. Melinda Warren's spell was too powerful. If you do anything to break it, you'll cancel the prophecy!"_

"_We can cast a spell to take the powers from this child," Prudence told her. "That way, the Charmed Ones definitely won't come from a warlock line."_

"_No!" Pearl cried. "You can't!"_

"_Please forgive us," Pippy said sadly. "You have to trust us. We know what's best."_

"_Stop! What are you doing?" Pearl yelled as Pippy grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down onto the cot. They bound her hands and feet as she struggled. She screamed out for help, but nobody came. The cousins revealed Pearls belly and rubbed oil on it, then they sprinkled foul smelling herbs over it and began chanting…_

"_Melinda Warren grandmother of old-_

_Your prophesy shall unfold_

_Good witches will become the power of three_

_But within this line it cannot be_

_Take the powers of the child in this womb_

_And we will avoid certain doom_

_Warren magic this generation must skip_

_Until the threat no longer exists"_

_A golden light surrounded Pearl and she started to shake. She screamed louder for help and still nobody came. She watched helplessly as the light centered over her pregnant belly and created what looked like a tornado spiraling in to her child through her belly button. The sensation was painless, yet Pearl could feel her body go weak. Tears streamed down her face and she couldn't breathe._

"_No, no no no!" she cried as the light filtered away into the air. "I can't believe you would do this to me!"_

"_We're sorry, we are so sorry!" Pippy said holding back her own tears. _

_Pearl felt her stomach contract and she unleashed a wail equal to the loudest of all banshees. Her back cramped as if someone had a hold of her spine from the inside and was trying to wrench it from her body. She turned her head and gritted her teeth._

"_The spell wasn't supposed to hurt either of them!" Prudence exclaimed, alarmed at her cousins sudden show of excruciating pain._

"_I don't know what happened," Pippy said, utterly confused. A moment later Pearls back arched and she screamed again._

"_Ooooh!" she cried. "Make it stop, oh God! Ooooh!" _

"_Oh my God," Prudence realized. "Pippy, go get a nun. She's in labor!"_

_Pippy ran from the room as Prudence unbound Pearls arms and legs. She stroked the hair from her cousins sweaty brow. Pearl rolled her head from side to side in agony. She felt a burning sensation, and then suddenly she was wet from the waist down. The pains became worse after her water broke. It felt as if someone was stabbing her with a hot knife and she was sure that she would die of the pain._

"_Get away from me," she managed to tell Prudence through gritted teeth. "You are nothing to me anymore!"_

_Pippy and two nuns rushed into the room, and Prudence stood back. The nuns ushered the two cousins out of the room and told them that they could wait in the chapel if they wanted to. Quickly, the nuns went about the business of bringing new life into the world. One took Pearls hand and talked softly to her, while the other lifted her skirt and examined her._

_Pearl tried to protest as they put a cloth of chloroform to her nose. The room started spinning and started to go black but not before she heard the nurse say "The baby is breech," the nun said. "And she's bleeding badly. We have to get the baby out of there now, or they will both die."_

_Pearl woke to sunshine streaming through a little window in the hospital wing. She reached to her belly and it was flat. She tried to sit up suddenly, but a throbbing pain racked through her abdomen and she moaned out loud._

"_Welcome back," a kindly woman said to her. _

"_Where is my baby?" Pearl asked her._

"_We almost lost you both," the nun told her. "You lost a lot of blood, you nearly didn't make it."_

"_Where is my baby?" Pearl asked again._

"_Don't you worry your pretty little head about that right now," the nun told her as she administered a syringe full of morphine into Pearl's arm. "You need sleep."_

_Pearl felt her eyelids getting heavy but she fought it. She needed to find out where her baby was, if the baby lived. She was terrified, scared that something had happened. Just as the drug started to win the battle, Prudence walked in._

"_Get out," Pearl mumbled._

"_Honey, about the baby. I'm so sorry."_

Melinda couldn't go on anymore. Her vision was blurred from the tears that had been falling for the past twenty minutes. She couldn't believe that the cousins had so little faith in the decision making skills of Pearl. Surely, Pearl could have raised that baby to be good. Aunt Phoebe had carried the sources child, and her mom and Aunt Paige were willing to give it a go; Pearl's baby was just a warlock!

"Oh! I can't stand to see you cry!" Pricilla exclaimed as she wandered into the conservatory. She had heard about the break up between Melinda and Tony, and immediately came to check on her favorite cousin. She found her there, surrounded by bright plants and sunlight, but completely alone.

"What?" Melinda asked dumbly wiping her face.

"It will be okay," Pricilla soothed. "You'll find love again. He was a bad man, I could sense it."

Melinda felt her temper rise, but she maintained herself. She had to keep up the charade until Tony came through with his promise.

"He wasn't a bad man, Priscilla. He was just very aware at how much my family hated him, especially Wyatt and Chris."

"Do you know where he is now?" Priscilla asked. "Maybe it's not too late, you can't give up on love."

"No," Melinda answered honestly. "I have no clue where he is, or what he's doing."

"Maybe I could get my dads ring, we could find him that way…"

"No!" Melinda interjected a little too quickly. "I mean, if I'm to get over him I can't see him."

Priscilla nodded and understood. "It's better this way. We're your family, and we only want what's best for you. I'm sure your dad didn't mean to be so hateful."

"I'm sure," Melinda replied. She couldn't get the image of Prudence and Pippy making decisions in Pearls best interest. Decisions that ultimately killed an innocent baby.

"Do you want to go catch that movie?" Priscilla was asking. "I'll even let you drive this time!"

Melinda managed a weak smile and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like fun, but you're buying the popcorn!"


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

A week had passed since Melinda gave Tony back the ring. He had promised to contact her within a couple of days, but she still hadn't heard from him. She wondered if maybe he had decided against the proposal, and her meltdown was simply an easy way out.

She looked at the clock on her cell phone… 1:06 a.m. She sighed and set the phone back down on her nightstand. She was tired of waiting up for him to call every night. She felt restless and wanted to go somewhere. Everyone in the house was sleeping though, and she feared that if she got up she would stir her brothers across the hall.

"You have a lot in common with her, don't you?" Melinda heard in her ear.

She turned her head to see the ghost, once again, standing in the corner of her room. She wondered once again, who this woman was and why she kept harassing her.

"I suppose so," Melinda said. "At first anyway I could relate to her. Those cousins of hers wouldn't let her do anything, just like my brothers won't let me. But she wouldn't stand up for herself at all, and her baby died because of them. I don't see what on earth I could have in common with her now."

"You haven't finished reading it?" the woman asked her.

"No, I have other things going on right now!" Melinda spat at the ghost.

"You should finish reading it. You have a lot to learn from her." The spirit looked a little disappointed.

"Fine," Melinda said. "There isn't much left, I'll just finish it tonight and see what happens."

"Good," the spirit said.

"Are you ever going to tell me who you are?" Melinda asked as she opened the diary.

"Perhaps," the ghost told her. "But it's not important right now."

_Pearl lay in her bed as the nuns and doctored conversed in the hall with her cousins. Physically, she seemed to be doing fine, but she was obviously dying. The only way to describe her ailment was a broken heart. The cousins hadn't left the convent in the days that followed the birth of Pearls daughter, but she didn't care. She wanted them gone, she wanted to die and be with her baby._

"_Pearl," she heard Prudence say. "Pearl, darling cousin please come back to us."_

_Pearl rolled over and looked up at her cousin. Prudence's black hair was loose to her shoulders, and there were bags under her green eyes. Her normally radiant olive skin looked pale in the light, and her bottom lip was chapped from her chewing on it… something she did habitually when she was worried._

"_Get away from me and let me die!" Pearl mumbled. "You are nothing to me, I don't want to come back to you!"_

"_We didn't want this to happen," Prudence told her gently. "Just let me talk to you, please."_

"_You do what you want to anyway," Pearl said. "Talk, it doesn't mean I have to listen."_

"_We couldn't risk…" Prudence's voice trailed off. She had told Pearl this same thing over and over again, but it never seemed to get through to her._

"_Pippy and I don't want you to die," Prudence told her. "If we leave, promise me that you will get yourself better."_

"_If that is what it will take to get you out of my live for good, fine I promise." Pearl spat at her cousin._

Melinda was taken to another time and another place. She was somewhere in the mountains. A creek rippled next to a log cabin and the smell of pine drifted through the air.

_Pearl had a bucket in her hand and she walked solemnly to the creek to collect dish water. The months had passed slowly, and she longed everyday for her lost child. She refused visits from her cousins, but a few of her customers from the speakeasy came to see her and ask for their fortunes to be told on occasion. She heard footsteps behind her and figured that it was another one of those people._

"_I'm not doing fortunes today," she said. She didn't care if she sounded rude. She had nobody to answer to anymore. She didn't care about the reputation of the speakeasy, or the reputation of the family. She simply didn't care if she lived or died anymore._

"_I know what is in my future," the voice answered._

_Pearl dropped the bucket into the creak and spilled water on her skirts. _

"_Anton." She said turning slowly._

"_Hello, Darling." He said. She looked him up and down. She wanted so badly to send him away and tell him to never come back. Instead, she ran into his arms and once again felt his loving embrace._

"_I had a child, Anton. Our child. I never even got to see her, she died. My cousins, I think they did something to her. They cast a spell, and our baby died!"_

"_No," Anton said calmly. "The baby didn't die."_

"_What?" she asked. "You knew?"_

"_I never left you in all that time. I glamoured myself into random people, but I kept my distance. I could never leave you. The baby never died, they got the baby out in time. I was there. I held your hand."_

_She stared at him incredulously. She was furious that he let them take her baby and allow her to think that it was dead. She had lived for weeks in misery and mourning for her child, and now he was here to tell her that he knew it was alive?"_

"_Where is she?" Pearl asked. _

"_Your cousins signed the papers to put her up for adoption. They named her Penelope, because they said the only way she could go with that family is if she was given a 'P' name. I watched as they took her away, and there was nothing that I could do."_

"_There was plenty that you could have done!" she cried punching him in the chest. "You could have taken her back, and come and told me that she was alive! You are pure evil! They were right! I can't believe you! They robbed me of my child and you just let them?"_

"_Calm down!" Anton said taking her hands. "What was I supposed to do? Expose myself in a convent and have them kill me right there? Expose you and your cousins, and our child?_

"_I don't care if you expose them!" she cried. "I don't care if you expose me! I just want my baby!"_

"_Do you really mean that?" he asked her, a gleam in his eye._

"_Yes, I do." She replied with hatred dripping in her voice._

"_Here," he said handing her an amulet. "I have a plan."_

_They walked back into her cabin and he explained everything to her. She would go back to the manor and help him steal their powers. After he had their powers, they would return to retrieve their child, and then together would rule as self proclaimed King and Queen. He fed her hatred unwillingly by mentioning baby Penelope's name over and over. She didn't care that he would kill her cousins, for they had already killed a piece of her soul._

_They lay in each others arms that eveningt next to the fire, and she was finally content. She knew that her family would once again be together. He confided to her that night that he was half human. His father, a warlock, had mated with a mortal woman in the late 1700's and his mother had died birthing him. He was raised by his father, and had never known his human side until he met her._

"_Did he love her?" Pearl asked._

"_No," Anton answered stroking her shoulder. "He was a monster."_

"_Then why?" Pearl asked him. "Because he was a monster. He knew that it was her fertile time, and he wanted an heir. He got me and I was his trophy for the next 100 years until he was vanquished by a Warren witch."_

"_Is that why you came after us?" she asked._

"_Yes, but it backfired and I fell in love with you instead."_

"_Oh my god!" Pearl heard a voice say. She turned around quickly to see Gordan, Pippy's husband standing at the threshold._

"_Gordan!" she said shocked. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I came to…" Gordan started to say until the full realization that Anton was sitting up on the floor looking menacingly at him. _

_He turned to run, but Pearl stopped him by sending fire through her fingertips and catching the only exit on fire._

"_You can't go anywhere," she told him. If he left then her cousins would be told that she and Anton had reunited, and then they would be ready for her._

"_What's going on?" she heard Pippy cry from outside. Water spilled in from the other side of the fire and she stood there with smoke circling her and her husband. Gordan took the hand of his wife and ushered her away._

"_We have to stop them!" Pearl cried. "They'll be ready for us!" _

"_Don't worry," Anton said taking her in his arms. "I have a plan that cannot fail."_

Melinda read the last line and was deeply confused. She didn't understand why the ghost thought that she had so much in common with Pearl. Sure, they were both underestimated, and nobody liked either of their boyfriends, but other than that they were completely different people.

'They killed her' a voice whispered into her ear. 'They strangled her when she went back, simply for loving someone they didn't approve of.'

At that moment, Melinda knew that the voice wasn't inside her head. She looked around, with her eyes narrow.

"Show yourself you coward." She said into the air.

Laughter filled her ears and the face behind the voice began to take form right in front of her. She gasped as she realized who it was.

"Anton?"


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Anton's face hovered in front of Melinda for a few moments. The image was transparent, but his features stood out clearly. The curve of his jaw, the shape of his lips, and the gleam in his eyes were forever burned into her mind from viewing Pearls memoirs. His laughter echoed within her mind although his face was still. She felt no fear, but she wasn't exactly at ease with his presence either.

"What do you want?" she asked him.

"Why would I want something?" he asked her.

"You're the one that has been invading my thoughts and dreams. I know that you want something." She replied.

"I want nothing from you," he told her. "I got what I needed already."

"What was that?" she asked nervously.

"I got to relive my past with Pearl. I got to see her within your mind, vibrant and alive." Though his face was the only thing that Melinda could see, she saw his demeanor change to sadness.

"Well, I'm done reading it now." She told him. "You're still here, so you obviously want something."

"I've been watching you. You remind me so much of her," he told her. "I see the way your family treats you, and I want to help you avoid what they did to her."

"What is it that they did to her?" Melinda asked, her curiosity growing.

"Open your mind to me," he told her. "I'll show you."

_Pearl's heart was racing as she turned the corner onto Prescott Street. She saw the usual cliental pouring in and out of the manor steps. Her cousins were going to be ready for her, and it scared her to death. Anton assured her that everything would be fine. He gave her an amulet that would protect her against their powers, and although she wasn't powerful enough to take them down herself, he promised to protect her._

_She thought of her daughter as she walked up the porch steps. Her fury raged as she entered the doors, but maintained her dignity. The doorman welcomed her back with a smile, and various people nodded their hello's to her on her way through the house. She glanced in the mirror to look herself over once more before confronting her cousins. _

_Gordan was sitting at the piano playing a song with his band. It was cheery, friendly, and happy. He caught her glance and a worried look crossed his face. The music he played irritated her to no end, they continued on with life as if nothing had happened. She confronted Pippy at the bar and they exchanged words. She ordered her regular drink and headed towards her booth. Prudence was taking photos as usual and turned to meet her gaze as Pearl approached her._

"_We have to talk, soon!" Prudence told her._

"_We're done talking," Pearl told her coldly. _

_There were no words that could describe the betrayal that her cousins had bestowed upon her. She turned on her heel and turned away. Christina was sitting at her booth, pretending to tell the future of an old woman. Fear engulfed Pearl, and she redirected her anger unwillingly to the child._

"_Christina Lawson! What in the devil are you doing?" she raged. She picked up the childs doll and threw it to the ground. She wanted to get Christina out of the manor before everything happened. She could never forgive herself if something happened to that dear little girl._

"_Spells and charms--- they're not toys, Christina! Do you understand me?" _

_Pearl was furious. She turned and went outside to try to get her anger under control. She was here for her cousins, not the innocents in the house. She paused just outside the door to catch her breath and felt Anton behind her and convinced her to be strong for their child._

_She went back into the house and found Prudence, still taking photographs._

"_Do you want to talk now… upstairs?" She asked._

_Someone screamed in the distance and commotion broke loose in the house. Everyone ran away in a panic, which left Prudence and Pearl alone facing one another. Prudence blew into her hand and a ray of ice headed straight for Pearl. The amulet that Anton had given her absorbed the attack, and Pearl suddenly felt very powerful._

"_How does it feel to be powerless against me?" she asked Prudence tauntingly._

_Prudence attacked her, and they were left on the ground wrestling. Pearl struggled to free herself from Prudence's grasp, but she was a strong woman. She felt something go around her neck from behind her. Pippy was behind her with a rope, threatening to strangle her. Pearl was distracted and Prudence ripped the amulet from her neck._

"_We know Anton is a warlock," Pippy told her._

"_And that he's fallen in love with you," Prudence added._

"_And he's turned you evil," Pippy said._

"_We can't have you guys join forces, not in this life, not in any life." Prudence finished._

"_Please forgive us," Pippy said. _

_They cast a spell that bound her and Anton from ever being together, and Pearl died.. strangled by her own blood with a rope around her neck. She would never get to live the life she dreamed of with Anton, and she would never get to lay eyes on her daughter. _

"Oh my God," Melinda said.

"Yes, they killed her just because she loved me. Because she wanted to build a life with me." He told her.

"No!" Melinda protested. "In the book it said that you tried to kill my Aunt Phoebe and you tried to steal their powers! They vanquished you!"

"Yes," Anton conceded. "I did try to take the powers of the Charmed Ones, but I didn't try to kill your Aunt Phoebe. She switched souls with Pearl, and I couldn't stand the thought of losing her again, so I tried to keep her with me. I didn't care about the soul of Phoebe, I only wanted my Pearl."

"But…" Melinda said. "They vanquished you. How are you here now?"

"They vanquished the warlock in me, but they couldn't kill my human soul." He replied. "Now, I'm here to help you."

"Help me what?" she asked.

"Help you to ensure that you don't end up with the same fate as my beloved Pearl." He replied. "Your lives are so parallel… right down to your family not approving of your fiancé."

"Oh my GOD!" Melinda squealed jumping to her feet. "Is Tony a warlock, or a demon, or something else evil?" Her heart was pounding and she was terrified to think that she had fallen for the enemy.

"No, no. Tony is fully human," Anton said to her.

"How can I trust you?" Melinda asked suspiciously.

"You can't," a third voice in the room said.

The other ghost that had been haunting Melinda came into view. She stood there calmly glaring at Anton. He diverted his eyes to the other ghost and matched her gaze.

"Stay out of this Witch," he told her. "It's your fault my Pearl is gone forever!"

"Don't listen to him Melinda," the woman told her. "His spirit may be human, but even humans can be evil."

"Stop it! Stop it!" Melinda screamed grabbing at the hair at her temples. Her head began to throb and she felt her pulse in her forehead. "I can't trust either of you!"

"Just listen to me, Melinda!" Anton pleaded.

"No!" she yelled. "Go away! Get away from me both of you!"

Anton's face went from serene to angry. He stared at her and started to say something but Chris burst through the door.

"Melinda!" he said. "Who are you yelling at?"

"Them!" Melinda replied pointing at the two ghosts.

"Who?" Chris asked.

Melinda looked from her brother to the ghosts. Why could he not see them?

"Get away from me!" she screamed at the spirits.

"Melinda," Chris exclaimed as his sister collapsed. He quickly rushed forward and caught her before she cracked her skull open on the floor.

"Melinda," he said softly. "What is it?"

------------------------------

Chris recounted the story of what had happened in his sisters room for the 100th time to his family. It was 9:30 in the morning, and they had all been awake since 3:00 a.m. when Chris discovered Melinda screaming at thin air. Piper immediately called her family, and everyone showed up almost instantly for a family meeting.

"And then she passed out," Chris told Billie who had just arrived.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't be here earlier," Billie told Piper.

"It's okay," Piper told Billie. "You had to take care of your own daughter."

Billie sighed and nodded. She was recently divorced, and her daughter was supposed to spend the weekend with her father, but he called and canceled at the last minute. Otherwise, she would have been at the manor at 4 in the morning when she first got the call.

"So now," Phoebe said. "We have to figure out what is going on inside her head."

"You can't read her?" Billie asked.

"No," Phoebe replied. "She's always been good at blocking it."

"I used to be able to read her," Priscilla said. "But for the past few weeks I can't get a feel on her. It's like—"

"Like she doesn't even know what she's thinking," Patty said.

"The only thing that is for sure is her feelings for Tony," Patience stated.

All three of Phoebe's girls were gifted with empathy coupled with the power of love, which made them all very powerful because they lead with their hearts and were never lead astray. The rest of the family took what they had to say to heart and thought for a few moments on the impact the words had on them.

"Okay," Phoebe said. "So love is muddling her mind. That's to be expected with a first love… remember how crazy I was with Cole?"

"No," Wyatt said. "I think it's more than that. She's been having really vivid nightmares lately."

"How do you know that?" Piper asked.

"Because she told me," Wyatt said.

"When?" Leo asked.

"A few days ago when I went in to check on her. I came in from work and she was still here so I asked her why she wasn't at class. She told me that she had a really bad headache and she figured it was because of the nightmares she'd been having, and she wasn't sleeping from it."

"What?" Piper asked Leo when she saw the look of concern on his face.

"Nothing," Leo said.

"No, what is it?" Chris asked.

"Well…" Leo said. "If you put everything together… she's having nightmares and headaches. She's talking to herself and she really hasn't been herself…"

"And she's been avoiding school and us," Chris finished. He and Wyatt exchanged a look.

"What!" Piper almost shrieked.

"Mom," Wyatt told her. "She's possessed."


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Possessed?" Phoebe asked. "No, no you guys are wrong. I've been possessed, remember? No, she's not possessed."

"You were completely possessed by spirits that had unfinished business here on earth," Leo told her. "They died trying to get married, which is why they took over you and Cole. I don't think that Melinda is completely possessed yet, just partially."

"It won't be long though," Chris said forlornly.

"I'll go get her," Wyatt said. "I think she might try to fight us if we do an exorcism though."

"There's enough of us here to handle her," Piper said. "We'll restrain her if we have to."

"Restrain me for what?" Melinda asked coldly from the entrance way. She was standing before them dressed in dark blue jeans and a bulky black sweater. Her hair hadn't been brushed, and here normally vibrant eyes were a dull black. Her lips were almost white and her face was pale and blotchy.

"Melinda," Paige said. "Sweetie we think that you may be under the influence of a spirit, a spirit that is trying to possess you. We have to try to exercise it from you."

"Possessed?" Melinda asked. She laughed a deep laugh and looked at her family. "What would make you think that?"

"You've been really distant from us lately," Paige told her. "You've isolated yourself from everything and everyone. You've been angry with everyone for the smallest things that used to never bother you. Not to mention that episode with you throwing Henry into the clock…"

"I told you then," Melinda told her aunt, "I was tired of his crap and I wanted to put a stop to it. He hasn't bothered me since."

"But Melinda," Piper said. "That just wasn't like you."

"I'm fine, I'm not possessed. I haven't heard any voices or seen any spirits. I'm just tired of this family thinking that they're all better than me!"

"Don't lie," a voice said from behind her. Melinda spun around and saw the woman ghost that had led her to the diary in the first place. "We've been chatting on and off for weeks. Of course you've been seeing spirits and talking to them."

"Oh my God!" Piper and Phoebe exclaimed at once. Paige looked to her sisters in utter confusion.

"SHE'S MINE NOW!" a voice that was not Melinda's screamed from her mouth. "She's mine now and you can't stop me now!"

"Melinda!" Chris and Wyatt exclaimed, but they were too late. She was gone.

Piper and Phoebe continued to stare at the ghost. Her wavy brown hair was loose at her shoulders, her dress old but she wore it beautifully. Paige studied the ghost as she stood there in their presence and wondered who she was.

"Melinda," Piper said. "What are you doing here?"

"Wait," Paige said. "Melinda? As in Melinda Warren? Our great great great grandmother Melinda Warren?"

"Nice to meet you too, Paige." Melinda smiled.

"Wow," Paige said.

"I came to try to help Melinda," she said turning to Piper. "I would have come to you, but I had to conserve my energies in case this happened. The ghost is that of a warlock called Anton. It came to my attention a few weeks ago that he was stalking her, taking advantage of her insecurities. I led her to the diary of Pearl Russell in hopes that she would learn from Pearl's mistakes and not let Anton take her over."

"Anton?" Phoebe asked remember a time long before. He was her lover in another life and very evil. She could easily see how Anton could seduce her niece.

"Yes," Melinda answered. "He's completely taken her now, and not without her permission in a way. She opened her mind to him last night willingly, and that opened the door for his influence."

"Oh no," Piper moaned. "What do we do? Chris, go get the book, we need to figure this out."

"I have to go now," Melinda said sadly. "I'll be back soon with help, but I need to conserve my energy."

She wiggled her fingers goodbye as she slowly faded away. Chris dashed up the stairs to bring the book down, Phoebe's daughters got the scrying crystal, Billy headed up to Melinda's room to get something for the crystal to focus on, and Paige's kids went to the kitchen to pull out the necessary things to make potions. Paige, Phoebe, and Leo tried to comfort Piper.

"She'll be okay, we'll get her back." Paige told her eldest sister.

"Found the spell," Wyatt announced. He and Chris were sitting together over the book, with their heads close as the studied the book.

"It's a power of three spell," Chris said. "But…"

"But what?" Phoebe asked.

"But it calls for the elementals," Wyatt said. "And it's very specific that the power of three must be combined with the power of the elements, and they all have to be sisters otherwise it won't work."

"Can't we just call a priest?" Billie asked.

"No," Leo told her. "This won't be as simple considering Melinda is a witch. It's not often that this happens, and it has to be very precise."

"Have you ever dealt with this before?" Wyatt asked his dad. "When you were a whitelighter I mean."

"Once, when I first got my wings. She was a young witch, one of my first charges."

"What happened?" Paige asked.

"I lost her," Leo said. "We couldn't find the elemental sisters, and the power of three didn't exist yet."

Piper tried to suppress her tears and Phoebe squeezed her hand. Piper had no clue who or what 'elemental sisters' were, or how to find them. She did know that she had to find them fast, before Anton completely took over her daughter and turned her evil. Seeming to read her thoughts, Phoebe spoke up.

"Don't worry," she told her sister. "As long as we get to her before she kills an innocent, she won't completely turn."

Melinda looked at her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was arguing with her family that she was not possessed, and now she was standing at Tony's motorcycle shop looking in. She had no clue how she got there, but she figured everything happened for a reason. She looked through the plate glass window and saw him talking with a customer. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw his broad shoulders underneath his tight black tshirt. Suddenly furious that she hadn't heard from him in a week, she barged through the doors.

"Tony!" she announced.

He turned and smiled when he saw her. Excusing himself from the customer, he rushed over to her and tried to wrap her in his arms. She pushed him away and glared at him.

"I know, I know I promised to call you," he told her apologetically. "But I had to figure everything out first and I didn't want to get your hopes up. At first, I thought maybe we could elope, but then I didn't think that would be good at all. I don't want you to be alienated from your family because of me. But, I think I have it figured out!"

"Who are you to make decisions for me?" she asked him coldly.

He looked her over. Something was different but he couldn't figure it out. He took her by the arm and led her to a more secluded part of the shop.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "Please, don't be angry. I love you."

Melinda laughed at him, and he looked hurt. Why was she acting this way?

"Are you sure you love me?" she asked him. "Would you love me if I told you a HUGE secret about myself?"

"I love you, no matter what." Tony said quietly, not sure where she was heading.

"I'm a witch Tony," she told him boldly.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm a witch. A true witch. I cast spells and make potions. I would fight demons and warlocks, but my family doesn't think I'm good enough for that. But," she said thoughtfully, "that's all changed now. I can do anything now."

"Melinda," Tony said worriedly. "Did you hit your head on something?"

"Oh, you don't believe me?" she asked. Suddenly the display of motorcycle helmets on the wall came crashing to the ground, the water cooler erupted water, and the engines to all of the bikes started at once.

"What the Hell!" Tony yelled as he spun around staring in disbelief at the commotion. Melinda laughed.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige all sat at the book flipping through the pages once more. They had been reading every syllable as to some sort of hint of who the elemental sisters may be.

"Maybe fairies?" Paige asked. "They have big families."

"No," Piper said. "Fairies are peaceful. They don't like battles, besides, their magic is more mischief than it is anything else. I don't think that they have enough power for this."

"She's not coming up," Patience sighed. "We've been scrying for an hour, and we can't find her. It's like she's fallen off the face of the earth!"

"Because she's not her anymore," Patty told her sister. "It's Anton."

"We can't scry for ghosts," Priscilla said, frustrated.

"Are there any potions that could help us flush out a ghost?" Little Henry asked. He felt helpless and responsible for his cousin's situation. He was just playing, but maybe it wasn't as funny as he thought it was.

"There might be," Paige said distractedly. "But I wouldn't know where to begin to look."

"We can try magic school," Porche and Pepper said.

"Good idea," Paige told them.

"Would you bring Madison with you?" Billie asked. She didn't want her daughter in the midst of all the excitement. Since the powers skipped generations, Madison had no way of protecting herself, not to mention she was only 10 years old and Billie herself didn't come into her powers until she was in college.

"What if it were the four of us," Billie suggested to the sisters. "We're all like sisters, and there's four of us."

"You're not actually our sister, Billie." Piper snapped.

"What Piper means to say," Paige said trying to cover up for her cranky sister. "Is that we are the power of three, and it specifically calls for the elementals and the power of three."

"Sorry," Piper said. She was beside herself and to the point of pulling out her hair with her bare hands.

"Actually, she's right." Someone said from behind them. "Kind of anyway."

"Prue!" Phoebe shrieked. She temporarily forgot the worry she felt for Melinda, and jumped to her feet to greet her long dead sister. Melinda Warren stood next to her smiling.

"Prue?" Piper more asked that said. She was amazed to see her big sister. In all the years since her death, and all the ghosts of her relatives that she saw, Prue had never come. She summoned her all the time, but to no avail.

"What are you doing here?" Phoebe asked.

"To help with the elements," Prue answered.

"What?" Paige asked. She had never met Prue, and in the beginning she was very jealous of the dead sister she had never met. Meeting her like this was not the way that she had imagined, and the impact hadn't fully hit her yet.

"Yes, Paige." Prue answered calmly smiling at her youngest sister. "We are the elements."

"No," Piper said. "We are the Charmed Ones."

"No, you're not." Melinda told her. "My prophecy said that the powers of the Warren line would increase until the culmination of _three _sisters that would be the ultimate good witches. There were four of you, which makes you the elements before the Charmed Ones. You guys paved the road for the true Charmed Ones."

Piper heard what Melinda was saying to her, but she couldn't wrap her head around it. She had fought for years as a Charmed One, and now she was being told that she wasn't? Melinda had said herself when they summoned her years ago that they were the Charmed Ones, how could that change now?

"No," Phoebe said with panic in her voice. "We were the Charmed Ones. We defeated the source, we took out the Triad, we beat the Avatars. Wyatt and Chris are twice blessed. We are the Charmed Ones."

"Are your children still fighting evil?" Prue asked Phoebe. "Are there still demons and warlocks out there?"

"Well, of course there are." Paige said. "We can never get rid of evil, you know that."

"I know that we can't," Prue said. "But the prophesy says that the Charmed Ones will."

"Then who are the Charmed Ones?" Phoebe asked, not wanting to know the answer.

"We are," Priscilla said, standing with her sisters.


	17. Chapter 16 The End

_**A/N**_

_**This is it, the end of Dear Diary. You all have been wonderful in your reviews, criticisms, and critiques. Thank you for the encouragement that I needed to keep going on to finish this story. I hope that the end doesn't let you down and leaves you with a sense of closure and happy endings. **_

_**Ayrlee**_

Chapter 16

"Melinda, why are you doing this?" Tony asked helplessly.

"Because I can," she replied.

After her magical outburst in his shop, all of the customers cleared out quickly. They weren't quite sure what had happened, but most of them rationalized that it was an earthquake although that didn't explain all of the bikes turning themselves on. Tony stood in amazement as she turned the open sign around and locked the doors with her mind.

She had him sitting in his office, out of view of the public eye imprisoned by fear. He tried to leave, but he suddenly flew through the air and landed with a thud against the wall. The woman that he had grown to love over the past few months was gone, and another being stood staring at him with hate in her eyes.

"I swear, I wasn't going to stand you up." He told her. "I was going to come to your house and ask your dad properly for your hand, and prove to him and your family that I'm not a loser!"

"Why would you do that?" she asked him, seeming to soften a little.

"I have a friend, he got ordained and we were all set to go get you and elope. But your uncle came in and he told me to go talk to your dad instead, he said that it would be easier that way and that it would make everyone happy. I don't know why, but he really seemed to know what he was talking about."

"Which uncle?" she asked.

"Coop. He's a good guy Melinda, he really knows what he's talking about." Tony thought he saw the old Melinda coming back to him. He figured that if he just kept talking maybe he could draw her completely out. "He says that we were meant for each other, and even though I already believed that, after we talked I wanted to do right by you and your family. Melinda, don't you understand?"

"Coop? Do you know why it seemed as if he knew what he was talking about?" she asked softly.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because," she said walking toward him. "He's a pansy! He's the most unmanly man I've ever known! He's always been all caught up in wildflowers and love. It makes me sick! Love only hurts people, Tony. Love KILLS!"

The scary Melinda had come back full force, no longer did Tony see even a glimmer of the woman he fell in love with. She paced back and forth as if trying to sort things out. She mumbled to herself, paused to cock her head to one side as if listening, then shook her head and started pacing again. Every once in awhile, she would look in Tony's direction with an evil sneer across her face which caused chills to run down his spine.

Phoebe looked at her daughters as they stood together completely willing to take on their destiny as the true Charmed Ones. First hand experience told her that her girls were in for a wild ride, and a dangerous ride. The thought of her children going out into the world to fight random demons and warlocks was one thing, but once the Underworld knew that these three were Charmed there would be another uprising that they alone would have to deal with.

She sighed and figured that it did make sense. They all had the power of empathy like herself. On top of that Priscilla had the gift of projection coupled with the power of moving things with her mind which allowed her to control things that she could physically see, and things that she couldn't. Patience like Piper had the power to freeze but it had evolved to freezing time, not just people and bad guys. And of course Patty, the youngest had vivid premonitions and could levitate long enough to almost fly. To top it all off, since their father was a cupid, they all were led by their heart to do what was pure and good.

"Don't worry," Prue told her as she sat next to Phoebe on the couch. "They won't be alone like we were. They've grown up as witches for one, and they have their cousins to help them. Sure, they're the Charmed Ones, but they essentially have their own army. They'll be fine."

"I know," Phoebe said. "They're good girls, I guess I just figured that Wyatt, Chris, and Melinda would take on that role after we were gone… and my kids would be a part of their army, not the other way around."

"Did you know anything about this?" Phoebe asked Chris. Chris had gone to the past to save the future many years before, and on his 24th birthday those memories came flooding back to him and Wyatt as time caught up with itself.

"No," Chris said. "In that other future, you only had one child."

"I didn't have anything to do with it," Wyatt said. "You just had Priscilla in that life."

"Chris's destiny was to ensure the lives of the Charmed Ones," Melinda Warren spoke up. "And he fulfilled it to it's fullest."

"What about me?" Wyatt asked. Although being the twice blessed child was always a bit overwhelming to him, now that he knew that he wasn't the top dog kind of left him at a loss for where he belonged.

"Wyatt, they weren't wrong about you. Given the timing of your birth, and your parentage, you are the single most powerful being there is." Melinda told him. "The girls are most powerful when they're together, but to stand alone could be fatal. They need you."

"And my kids?" Paige asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Prue asked her. "Your kids immediately went to make potions just in case they were needed. Where was the first place your kids went when they were at a loss of what to do? They went to magic school to find the answers. The twins have a connection that all of us should envy, and Henry is free spirited and fun loving. Your kids are not only going to be the brains, but they're also going to be the glue that keeps this family together. Just like you have been."

Paige didn't know what to say. She had never known Prue, and had always figured that Prue would resent her for taking her place in the trio of sisters. With that single statement, Paige knew that Prue truly accepted her as her own blood.

"When I was killed I was worried about Piper and Phoebe," Prue told Paige. "I was terrified of what they would do without me there. But, when Grams and Mom met me on the other side, they told me about you. I was shocked at first, but then I came to understand. Do you think that it was a coincidence that my obituary pretty much flew into your face the day of my memorial?"

"I don't know what to say," Paige said.

"Tell me that you love me as much as I love you," Prue said. "You'll never know how grateful I am to you for coming in and putting my family back together."

"I love you," Paige told her. "I wish that you were solid so that I could hug you."

"I have to save my energy for the ritual," Prue told her. "But if you summon me, I'll come back and we can get together. You'll just have to wait awhile before you do it."

"I summoned you a hundred times!" Piper said. "You never came for me."

"I couldn't," Prue told her. "If I had, you would have depended on me and not Paige. You needed to trust in her."

Piper nodded. "I understand, but this ritual. We have to get started before my daughter does something horrible."

"Yeah," Phoebe perked up. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "How are we supposed to know which one of us is which element?"

"Paige?" Prue asked. "Do you have any clue?"

"Well," she said unsure of herself. "I would think that Piper would be Earth."

"Why?" Prue asked.

"Because, she's as close to mother nature as any of us can get."

"Good," Melinda smiled. "And Phoebe?"

"Obviously Phoebe would be Fire. She's so full of life and passion, that's a no brainer! And you would be air, Prue. That only makes sense, you know, since you're uh… made up of air."

"Yes," Prue replied. "Which would leave you as Water, because you're calming and peaceful, but also a force to be reckoned with."

"Now, the only thing we need to do is find Melinda." Billie said. "I can scry some more, or maybe go drive around and try to find her."

"No," Melinda Warren told her. "You can't go. We need you here to complete the ritual."

"Umm, okay." Billie said. This seemed like a family affair, and she couldn't understand what use she would be, but she was more than willing to be there for her surrogate family.

Just then Sandra, an elder that had remained on friendly terms with the sisters throughout the years orbed into the room. She looked calmly at the family as she stood there in her white and gold robes. Directing her attention to Chris and Wyatt, she motioned for them to speak with her in private.

"No," Chris told her. "We're busy right now."

"Chris," Sandra told him. "This is important. We have a new charge for you and it's imperative that you help him."

"A charge?" Leo asked incredulously. "Sandra, we're kind of in the middle of a crisis. Can't you give it to another whitelighter for a moment?"

"This charge is very important, Leo. He is a whitelighter to be and he's in danger." Sandra told him calmly. "And it's even more important that Wyatt and Chris go to him now."

"Why do they both need to go," Piper asked.

"Because that is the only way. He's in serious danger, and he's very important to us. One of them needs to get the charge out of the imminent danger, and the other needs to protect the threat from being harmed." She told them.

"Why would we protect the thing that is harming our charge?" Wyatt asked in disbelief .

"Because your charge is Tony, and the threat is your sister." She told them simply.

"Tony is destined to be a whitelighter?" Chris spat. "That guy is a dirtbag!"

"No, he's not Chris." Sandra told him. "He's got a heart of gold, and not only is he to be a whitelighter, but he is also the one that has been chosen to take my place when I move on."

"I also have a great personal interest in him," Sandra added.

"Why?" Prue asked.

"Because, he's my great grandson which is why he was chosen by the council to receive the transfer, but if you don't go now then he will never make it."

"Go," Leo told them. "Go now, save your sister and save Tony."

Chris and Wyatt orbed into Tony's office just in time to see Melinda holding a terrified Tony against the wall with superhuman powers. His feet were dangling about two feet off the ground and Melinda was holding him up with one hand by the throat. In her other hand she had a ball of electricity ready to thrust it into his chest.

"Melinda!" Chris yelled.

She turned around. Her eyes were completely black and her skin seemed to hang from her beautiful face.

"How did you find me?" she growled. "There's no way you could have tracked me down so quickly."

"Melinda," Chris said slowly. "I know that you're in there somewhere. Fight him, fight Anton with everything you have. Don't fall victim to him like Pearl did. I know that you can hear me."

Melinda rolled her head to one side as if she were trying to work out a cramp. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and the energy ball lessened.

"Chris?" she asked. "Chris he's too strong. I --- SHE'S MINE!" Anton interjected. "She's too weak to fight me off. She doesn't want to fight me, she opened herself fully to me. She doesn't want you to control her anymore."

"That's not true, is it Melinda?" Chris asked ignoring Anton. "Melinda, I know that we've all let you down. I know that we've all underestimated you, but you have to trust us. You have to fight him."

"Shut up," Anton said through Melinda. "She can't hear you. She doesn't want you."

"You're just scared." Chris told him. "You're scared that she will fight you and send you back to the depths of Hell!"

"She can't," Anton sneered.

"Then I will," Chris told him.

"What are you going to do, kill your sister?" Anton taunted.

"If it means sending you back, I'll do what I have to." Chris replied coolly.

Chris could see Anton losing control. He could sense his sister was fighting to regain control, but he also knew that Anton was incredibly strong. They had all sheltered her for so long that she didn't know how to fight him properly.

Anton knew that Melinda was fighting him and it infuriated him. He had to get rid of the brothers before he could finish what he had started with the boyfriend. As soon as he killed the innocent, their souls would combine and he would once again be able to live on the earthly plain as a human. He knew that Melinda's powers were strong, and he needed them to exact his revenge on the sisters. He dropped Tony to the ground and faced Chris with a menacing glare.

"Go," Chris hissed at Wyatt.

Wyatt quickly orbed to Tony's side. "It's alright man. You'll be safe, just trust me."

"Dammit!" Anton screamed as Wyatt orbed Tony to safety. "Now look what you've done!"

"You have no idea what I can do," Chris replied.

"Chris," Melinda's voice escaped through. "Stop him!"

"Melinda," Chris said straight into his sisters dark eyes. "Melinda you can regain control. Just concentrate."

Melinda collapsed onto the ground in a heap. Her eyes had gone back to normal and she looked up at her brother weakly.

"I can't hold him off long," she told him. "He's too strong."

"Just concentrate," Chris told her taking her arm.

At the manor everything was in order and waiting for Chris to return with Melinda. Priscilla, Patience, and Patty stood in the middle of the circle. Priscilla held a piece of paper with a spell written on it, and her sisters stood to each side waiting. They would have to act fast when Chris got back. Piper stood in the North fidgeting while she anxiously awaited the return of her children. To her right Prue stood calmly waiting, Phoebe stood directly across from her with anxiety written all over her face, and Paige was to her left holding strong. Melinda Warren stood behind Phoebe, and Billie stood behind Piper.

"When they get here Melinda and I will become solid," Prue explained. "We all have to join hands, and no matter how hard it gets we can't let go… do you guys understand?"

All of the sisters nodded.

"Do you understand what you have to do, Billie?" Prue asked.

"Yeah, the second you guys become corporeal I drop the crystals with Melinda which will form a vaccum that will suck Anton out of Melly, and back into the afterlife for good."

Chris orbed in with Melinda. She stood up quickly, Anton already taking control of her body back. Chris and Wyatt focused their powers on her and orbed her to the circle in front of Phoebe's girls.

Prue and Melinda Warren became solid, the elemental sisters joined hands, and Billie and Melinda Warren dropped the crystals. The crystals lit up as if four tiny suns had entered the house and streams of pure white energy rose from them forming a triangular vortex. A giant ball of energy formed around the elementals. Wind blew within the house in all directions and their hair blew into their eyes. The sparks that flew from the energy force field burned their skin and the sound of the wind was deafening.

"Evil spirit that controls the soul" Priscilla, Patience and Patty chanted together.

"NO!" Anton screamed through Melinda.

"Your time in this body is over and it's time to go"

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" he cried trying to fight against the virtual whirlwind inside the circle.

"We send you back we vanquish thee. We send you back by the Power Of Three!"

Anton's soul shot out of Melinda's body. It got sucked up into the vortex that the crystals formed above the sacred circle. Melinda collapsed and lay limply on the floor in front of her three cousins.

"Melinda," Piper yelled.

"Don't let go of my hand," Prue yelled. "None of you let go, not yet."

The wind became unbearable and they all fought to stay standing through it. Anton fought his way back through the vortex and tried once more to occupy Melinda's body.

"We send you back, we vanquish thee. We send you back by the power of three!" The girls yelled against the force. He screamed and was once more sucked up into the crystal cage that would send him back to the afterlife. The energy field that was formed by the sisters dissipated and the crystals stopped glowing and the streams of energy receded back into them.

"Is it over?" Paige asked.

"Yes, it's over." Melinda Warren said peacefully.

Melinda Haliwell stirred and sat up. She looked around at her family and started to cry openly.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I am so very sorry!"

"It's okay," Priscilla said kneeling down to her cousin and cradling her in her arms. "You're safe now and that's all that matters."

"Tony?" Melinda asked looking around.

"I'm fine," he said. He had watched the whole thing from the stairs. Wyatt and Leo wouldn't let him near the whole scene. Although he didn't understand what had just happened, he did understand that it wasn't Melinda that had just tried to kill him. He rushed down the stairs and took her into his arms. They shared a tender kiss and he hugged her tight. Not letting go of her, he looked over her head at Leo.

"Mr. Wyatt," he said to Leo. "The timing may be bad, and I know how you feel about me, but I swear to you that I love this woman and I would never do wrong by her. May I please have your daughters hand in marriage?"

Everyone turned to look at Leo. He was fully aware of the high tension in the room given everything that had just happened, but he was also aware of what a good man Tony must be, and how much courage it must have taken him to ask that question.

"Well," Leo said thoughtfully. "Do you think you can handle what this family is really all about considering you just saw it first hand? This is an all the time occurance."

"Yes, Sir I do."

"Tony," Leo said trying his best to puff out his chest and look threatening. "We've never liked you much."

"With all do respect," Tony said defensively. "It doesn't really matter if you like me or not, just so long as I have Melinda's love."

"Tony," Leo said no longer able to suppress his amusement. "I couldn't think of anyone better to give my daughter to!"

"Really?" Tony asked, truly shocked.

"If you can handle magic like that without blinking an eye, you can handle anything." Leo told him.

"That was some magic!" Tony said, releasing a nervous chuckle.

"That was Warren Magic," Melinda Warren said smiling.

"Well, Warren Magic plus one," Billie said.

"No," Melinda Warren said. "That was Warren Magic all the way through or else it wouldn't have worked at all."

"But, I'm not a Warren…" Billie said confused.

"Pearl's baby!" Melinda Haliwell exclaimed.

"Yes," Melinda Warren said smiling. "Billie is a direct descendant from Pearl's baby that was given away at the convent in the 1920's. She's as much my daughter as the rest of you are."

"What?" Billie asked in disbelief.

"Wait," Melinda said. "the cousins cursed the baby. They took the powers away from the baby."

"It backfired," the older Melinda answered. "The spell made it so that every other generation was left without powers, but what the cousins didn't consider was that the generation that got the powers would be doubly as strong."

"Which is why the Triad tried to use me and my sister to take out the sisters!" Billie exclaimed. "Warren magic pitted against Warren magic!"

"Exactly," Prue said. "Luckily, you were more Warren than you were warlock!"

"I'm confused," Tony said into Melinda's ear.

"Don't worry, Baby. We've got a lifetime together to figure it out."

2 weeks later…..

"Melinda!" Wyatt yelled from the attic. "Melinda, hurry!"

Melinda rushed up the stairs to see what was going on. Wyatt stood before her, dazed, hurt, and hurriedly flipping through the Book of Shadows. He didn't look up when she came in, but he motioned for her to come to him with his hand.

"What's going on?" she asked worriedly.

"That warlock, the one that we told you about a few weeks ago… Chris is still in the underworld, I need your help!"

"What the Hell, Wyatt! You left him down there? Where are the girls?" she asked.

"The girls have bigger things to deal with than a clan of warlocks. You'll see when we get there." He answered.

"Okay then," she replied. "Then why did you leave Chris alone?"

"There were too many of them, I had no choice. I had to come back and get you!" he said. "There is no time to explain, just come on!"

He ripped a page out of the book, grabbed her arm tight, and orbed to the underworld. Chris was huddled under a precariously perched boulder and put his finger to his lips to tell them to be quiet. Melinda and Wyatt rushed to him and kneeled next to him.

"Did you show her?" Chris hissed at Wyatt.

Wyatt shook his head and showed Wyatt the page that he had ripped from the book.

"You tore a page out of the book!" Chris exclaimed.

"Shhh!" Wyatt and Melinda hissed at him.

"Okay, we don't have much time." Chris whispered to Melinda. "So I'll give you the short version. The ring leader of these bad guys is a high level warlock."

Chris pointed to the parchment. "He was banished to the underworld by his lover, a witch that he fell in love with hundreds of years ago. When she found out what a danger he was she banished him and killed herself."

"Look at the drawing," Wyatt told her excitedly. "You look a lot like her!"

Melinda stared at the etching in disbelief. There were definitely similarities between them. "The demon isn't Anton is it?" She asked.

"No… it's Mikal." Wyatt answered.

"Was the witch related to us?" Melinda asked, wondering if the spirits of Pearl and Anton were coming back to haunt them again.

"No!" Chris said exasperated. "Just listen. He's Hell bent on taking us down. He's got a flipping Army of warlocks. At first we thought they were just warlocks, another uprising, but he somehow managed to clone himself. ALL these warlocks are Mikal. We need you to say this spell so that we can flush out the original!"

"Why do I need to do it?" she asked.

"Because according to the book, only a woman that is full witch can say the spell." Chris said annoyed at all of his sisters questions.

"Why me?" she asked. "Why not Mom, or Aunt Phoebe or Aunt Billie?"

"Because you LOOK like her Melinda!" Wyatt said. "And," he added, "because we know that you can do it."

"You have to draw him out before you say the spell," Chris told her. "We don't think he knows that we have another sibling."

"Me?" Melinda asked, her heart beginning to pound. "I can't. I—"

"You can do it," Chris told her.

Wyatt thrust the parchment into her hand and winked. "You better memorize this real quick!"

"Here they come," Chris whispered. He and Wyatt looked at Melinda with anxious and hopeful eyes.

Melinda felt as if all of the bones in her body had turned to rubber. She felt goose bumps on her arms, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

"Ha! Charmed Sons!" a gruff voice said from behind the boulder. "Cowards! Every time they run away like cockroaches!"

Wyatt nudged Melinda. Slowly she eased herself from behind the rock and positioned herself in the shadows.

"Who's there?" Mikal growled.

"It's me, Mikal." Melinda said calmly, although her insides were knotted up from nerves. Hundreds of Mikals came into sight from all around. They all stood and stared at her with a mixture of fear, love and rage smitten on their faces.

"Alejandra?" they all asked.

"Yes, it's me." She replied still staying partially hidden in the shadows. "I've come back to be with you."

"You banished me here! Now after all of these years I've gained enough power to rise again! That is no coincidence you traitorous witch! You've come to bring me down!" they all raged.

"No, no my love!" Melinda said. "I made a mistake, I want to be with you."

"Prove to me that you are who you say! Tell me our secrets." Mikal and his minions demanded.

"Not until you show me yourself!" Melinda replied stubbornly.

"Tell me our secrets and I will show you myself," he replied.

"I have no secrets to share with you—" Melinda said. She bit her lip.

Mikal and his minions started laughing. One by one they started to dissipate until only one in the far back was left.

"Alejandra! You've come back to me!" he said, delighted.

"_Heart of black_

_I send you back_

_To the world you left behind_

_Vanquished forever from land and time!"_

Mikal turned to run, but he burst into a ball of flames. He looked directly into her eyes and screamed a deathly scream before his form of ashes collapsed to the ground.

"Very cool!" Wyatt said to her.

"Yeah, that last line was supposed to be 'banished forever from land and time'!. Nice improvising, Sis!" Chris said putting his arm across her shoulders.

"Well," she said. "It seemed to be the right thing at the time. I mean, he was already banished to the underworld…"

"I'm proud of you, Melly!" Wyatt beamed.

"Next time, just stick with the plan." Chris told her smiling. "That seriously could have backfired."

"I'm just glad I could help," she said beaming.

"You did it!" Wyatt smiled. "You kicked warlock butt!"

At dinner that night, Wyatt and Chris retold the story of how well Melinda had done on her first trip to the underworld. Leo told her that he was proud of her, and Piper smiled approvingly.

"It felt pretty good," Melinda mused over her mashed potatoes.

"What felt good, Honey?" Piper asked. "Being a part of the action with your brothers?"

"No," Melinda said. "Knowing that my brother's had faith in me to do it in the first place."

The End.


End file.
